Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. gets massive injury update

Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. took a major step toward a return to the Atlanta Braves lineup on Tuesday when doctors officially cleared him to “ramp up activity and begin progressing toward a rehab assignment,” according to Braves beat writer Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Toscano added that there’s still no timetable for Acuna’s return but he appears to be on target to rejoin the team in the next month. His latest check-in was an expected step forward, as Braves reporter Grant McAuley reported last week that the 27-year-old phenom was looking to be cleared for “lateral movement and quick start/stop running.”

“They just have to check him out and sign off on it before they can do that,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said last week, per the AP. “And I think this was just part of the plan initially. I don’t think he’s going to rush it or anything. This has been the case from the get go.”

Acuna has not played since May 26 of last season when he tore his ACL while running the bases. He was coming off an NL MVP season in 2023, where he hit .337 with 41 home runs and league-bests in hits (217), runs scored (149), stolen bases (73) and on-base percentage (.416).

In Acuna’s absence last year, the Braves still managed to win 89 games and finish second in the NL East. They ultimately fell 2-0 in the Wild Card Series to the San Diego Padres.

2025, however, has been nothing short of disastrous so far for Atlanta. The Braves lost their first seven games and have had almost no production from their outfield. As of Tuesday, the Braves’ primary three outfielders have combined to hit three total home runs and none has an OPS+ of over 60. As a team, the Braves rank 19th in MLB in combined OPS (.678) and 17th in OBP (.306).