Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Braves Fans Get the News They’ve Been Waiting For on Ronald Acuna Jr.

Ronald Acuña Jr. will return to the field today!

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The wait is finally over in Atlanta.

After nearly a full year sidelined by a torn ACL, Ronald Acuña Jr. is officially beginning a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Braves on Tuesday. It’s the first step back for one of baseball’s most electric players—and the start of what Atlanta hopes will be a season-saving return.

OF Ronald Acuña Jr. today begins a rehabilitation assignment with the FCL Braves.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 13, 2025

Acuña, 27, hasn’t played since May 26, 2024, when he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee. It was déjà vu in the worst way, just three years prior, he had torn the ACL in his right knee. But this week’s development is the strongest sign yet that the two-time All-Star and reigning National League MVP is finally on the mend.

Atlanta announced the news Tuesday morning, confirming that Acuña will suit up in the outfield and report back on how his body responds. Under MLB rules, position players can spend up to 20 days on a rehab assignment. If there are any hiccups, the clock resets and the process can begin again.

Atlanta Braves Need Ronald Acuna Jr. Now More Than Ever

Atlanta enters the week with a 20–21 record, sitting 6.5 games behind the first-place New York Mets in the NL East. The team has struggled to find its rhythm without Acuña’s game-breaking speed, power, and swagger at the top of the lineup. His return, even in a limited role, could be the jolt the Braves need to climb back into contention in a tightly packed National League.

Across seven MLB seasons, Acuña has compiled a .289/.379/.525 career slash line with 165 homers and 196 stolen bases. His most recent full campaign in 2023 was historic: he became the first player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases in the same season, en route to NL MVP honors.

Injuries may have delayed his greatness at times, but the numbers show what Acuña brings when healthy. Over 162 games, he averages 37 homers, 94 RBIs, 130 runs scored, and 44 steals. Few players in the sport change a game like he does.

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Tuesday’s rehab game in North Port, Florida, won’t be the same as stepping into Truist Park. But for Braves fans, and a club that desperately needs its star, the road back just got a little clearer.

Braves

Ronald Acuna Jr.

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.