For a few brief weeks, Ronald Acuña Jr. looked like himself again—fearless at the plate, fast on the bases, and energetic in the outfield. His return on May 23 had been a much-needed jolt for the Atlanta Braves, who hoped his comeback would anchor a deep postseason run. With 14 home runs and a .309 average in just 54 games, Acuña had quickly shaken off the rust.
But in Atlanta’s Tuesday night matchup against the Kansas City Royals, the momentum came to a halt. Acuña exited the game in the sixth inning after experiencing discomfort, and the postgame atmosphere turned somber.
Later, Acuña addressed reporters in an emotional interview, conducted through a translator. Though he tried to remain composed, his body language and voice told the story of frustration and fear all too familiar to Braves fans.
Tightness in right Achilles sends Acuña to injured list
The team later confirmed that Acuña is dealing with tightness in his right Achilles tendon. This issue comes just over a year after he tore his left ACL in May 2024—a cruel echo of his 2021 right ACL tear. The Braves have since placed him on the 10-day injured list.
According to Acuña, the issue surfaced the day before the game, but he insisted on playing despite the warning signs. “Yeah, I think it definitely got worse today,” Acuña admitted. “I told them yesterday and everyone said hey, take the day if you want, you can have the day off. I said no, I’ve just missed so much time already through with injuries, I don’t want to miss any more time.”
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Acuña’s emotional message
When asked if he feared structural damage, Acuña didn’t hold back: “Yeah, of course. It’s an injury, I’m worried. It’s just pain, but I feel it a lot when I try to put pressure on it,” he explained, showing clear concern over the seriousness of the flare-up.
For now, the Braves are taking a cautious approach. Acuña indicated that medical evaluations will continue on Wednesday to determine the next steps.
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Acuña Jr. avoids major injury
MLB reporter Mark Bowman shared an update via “X” regarding Ronald Acuña Jr.’s injury status: “Acuña’s discomfort is in the upper Achilles/lower right calf region. Preliminary tests provided no reason to believe he has a significant injury. Today’s MRI will verify if this is true. If results match current expectations, there’s a chance Acuña could play again in 2–3 weeks.” This message offers a cautiously optimistic outlook for the Braves, who are hopeful the MRI will confirm that no major setback has occurred
