Ronald Acuña Came Back From a Second ACL Tear and Is Having One of the Best Seasons We've Ever Seen
Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered his second career ACL tear on May 26, 2024. He made his return to the Braves' lineup 362 days later and launched a home run on the first pitch he saw back in the major leagues. And ever since, he's been on the best run we've ever seen from him.
In 28 games, Acuña has hit nine homers while also maintaining a batting average still fluctuating around .400. He leads Major League Baseball in OPS since his return, more than 20 points higher than second place Cal Raleigh. He has an unfathomable 231 wRC+ to lead the big leagues — Aaron Judge is the only other player above 200. His 2.2 WAR is seventh among National League outfielders, despite playing a third as many games as everyone else. And he has 13 multi-hit games to just four games without recording a base knock.
This guy showed back up at the yard like nothing happened and just instantly resumed being the best player in baseball.
It's a shame the Braves are such a dumpster fire outside of a few guys, because what Ronald is doing should be the biggest story in sports right now. I doubt even his insane season will be enough to get Atlanta into the postseason, but if that somehow happens and his production is anything close to what it is right now, he has to win MVP. Half of Acuña's team couldn't hit college pitching right now, so he just makes sure to notch a homer and a double every night to give them a chance.
Acuña is surging for the NL's third starting outfield spot in the All-Star Game and while Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez have been great this season — though Hernandez's WAR is 1.6 compared to Acuña's 2.2 in 35 fewer games — I think Ronald has more than earned it. Obviously the game being in Atlanta plays into things, too, but this guy has been superhuman every time he's taken the field this year.
If this guy ever wears another uniform, I'll sob. I don't know if we'll ever get the rest of the team back on track, but I will watch Ronald Acuña play baseball every single night until he stops doing it.
