Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
of The Braves announced the injury Sunday night. After undergoing an MRI, he will miss the remainder of the season.
The injury occurred in the top of the first inning of Atlanta's 8-1 win as Acuna was leading off the basepaths from second base. He collapsed to the turf in apparent pain and clutched his left foot. He lay on the ground for a while receiving treatment from trainers before eventually limping off the field.
Acuña was injured in the top of the first inning of a scoreless game after reaching base on a leadoff double and attempting to steal third base. The Braves finished Sunday with a 30-20 record, good for third in the National League and six games behind the Philadelphia Phillies (38-16) for the NL East lead.
A big blow for Acuna and the Braves
Acuña, 26, is a four-time All-Star and National League MVP. In 2023, he batted .337/.416/.596 with 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, 149 runs and 73 stolen bases, leading the league in runs, hits, stolen bases and on-base percentage. This season, he played in 48 games and batted .246/.348/.356 with four home runs, 15 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.
This is the second ACL tear of Acuña's career. He tore the ligament in his right knee after jumping to play in the outfield in 2021. Acuña also sprained his ACL in 2018 and was optimistic after Sunday's game that he might have sprained it again. He told reporters that he didn't feel the same jolt the previous time he tore his ACL and wouldn't be surprised if it did tear. One month restBut he suffered a season-ending injury for the second time in his seven-season MLB career.
Acuna's injury marks the second season-changing injury for the Braves, who entered the season seeking their second World Series championship in four seasons. All-Star starting pitcher Spencer Strider pitched just two games before undergoing season-ending internal brace surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Strider finished fourth in Cy Young Award voting last year and was one of the preseason favorites to win the award this year.
Now the Braves are forced to regroup without a preseason Cy Young or MVP candidate.
