The schedule for the comeback of Ronald Acuña Jr., right fielder for the Atlanta Braves, has been released. When Acuña returns, the goal is to get him back on the field, general manager Alex Anthopoulos told MLB Network Radio.
Anthopoulos stated, “We just want to make sure that Ronald Acuña Jr. will be elite when he returns.”
They don’t envision a situation where Acuña would have to begin the season as a designated hitter, a role Marcell Ozuna now has full-time.
Although, in principle, they could have tried Ozuna in the outfield, they chose not to do so during the previous season due to a lack of depth. Instead, they used Jorge Soler to roll the dice.
According to Anthopoulos, this won’t be all that different from his 2022 comeback from his first ACL injury. He returned in 2022 and appeared in 119 games, 92 of which were on the outfield. The remaining 27 served as DHs.
In order for the 2023 National League MVP to return to action at his peak, it is important that he be completely healthy. The statistics revealed that when he previously returned, he wasn’t really up to speed.
Acuña had a.266/.351/.413 season after his comeback, with 15 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases. The season he would have the next year isn’t precisely like this.
Therefore, even if he returned for Opening Day, the Braves believe it’s best to take even more time and exercise even more patience, even though he will have had more time to recuperate than the prior time.
They are also free to attempt and experiment as a designated hitter because of the longer recuperation period. In their perspective, that would be like hurrying him back.
Regardless of his condition before the beginning of the regular season, Acuña is still anticipated to enjoy a full spring training. Spencer Strider, his opponent as a recovery pitcher, is anticipated to use a similar strategy.
In 128 games following his return, Acuña is expected to slash.291/.379/.510 with 26 home runs and 74 RBIs, per FanGraphs. According to the forecasts, he should be well and prepared.
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