One of baseball’s most electric players is set to make his return to the diamond this week.
Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. will be activated from the injured list ahead of Atlanta’s game Friday against the San Diego Padres, the team announced Thursday.
Acuna has been out for just under a year after tearing his left ACL on May 26 last season. He underwent surgery on the injury on June 6.
The enigmatic Venezuelan has dominated in his rehab outings with triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .417 with a 1.465 OPS and one home run in five starts.
Before suffering the ACL tear, Acuna was hitting .250 with a .716 OPS along with four home runs and 16 stolen bases in 49 games during the 2024 season.
However, he’s best known for his stellar 2023 MVP campaign, which saw him hit .337 with a league-leading 1.012 OPS, 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases.
A four-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, Acuna should bring a big offensive boost to a Braves team desperate for it, as they sit third in the NL East at 24-25. Atlanta is 21st in MLB with 4.1 runs scored per game.