Atlanta Braves All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. was placed on the injured list Wednesday with Achilles inflammation in his right leg, a day after leaving a game early against the Kansas City Royals.
The Braves announced his diagnosis shortly after his exit on Tuesday. After the game, manager Brian Snitker confirmed to reporters that Acuña would be placed on the 10-day injured list. He was seen in a walking boot after the game.
Per MLB.com's Mark Bowman, an MRI revealed a Grade 1 calf strain for the outfielder, a diagnosis mild enough that he could be back within 2-3 weeks.
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Acuña left the game with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Kansas City's Vinnie Pasquantino hit a fly ball to deep right-center field that Acuña couldn't reach. It bounced off the warning track and over the fence for a ground-rule RBI double that extended Kansas City's lead to 9-3.
Acuña jogged from his spot in the outfield, then left to the Braves clubhouse with a trainer.
The Royals held on for a 9-6 victory.
Per multiple reports from the game, Acuña showed signs of discomfort prior to the play that preceded his exit. After the game, he said through an interpreter that he sustained the injury while running from first to home on a play the previous night, while wiping tears from his eyes multiple times:
"I think it definitely got worse today. I told them yesterday and everyone said, 'Hey, take the day if you want it. You can take the day off,' but I've just missed so much time through injuries I don't want to miss any more time.
"I was out there hoping they wouldn't hit it my way and of course when you do that, they always hit it your way."
The injury is the latest in a stellar career that has been plagued by leg injuries. Acuña has sustained ACL tears in each of his knees — the right in 2021 and the left in 2024. In between, he won the 2023 MVP Award while leading the National League in hits, runs scored, stolen bases and on-base percentage.
Injuries have limited Acuña to 82 games or fewer in three of his seven MLB seasons. He missed the first 49 games of this season while recovering from the ACL tear sustained last year.
Despite the injuries, Acuña has been named an All-Star in five of his seven MLB seasons as one of the most versatile and gifted offensive players in baseball. He was also named Rookie of the Year in one of the two years he wasn't an All-Star.
Acuña and the Braves are certainly hoping this latest setback won't require an extended stay on the injured list. With the 45-61 Braves 12.5 games out of the wild-card race as of the conclusion of Tuesday's game, there should be little motivation for the team to rush him back.
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