5x All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. Suffers Grade 1 Strain, Avoids Worst-Case Scenario

Ronald Acuna Jr. will be out of action for 2-3 weeks as he suffered a Grade 1 strain in his right calf while scoring from first base on Tuesday.

5x All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. Suffers Grade 1 Strain, Avoids Worst-Case Scenario

Ronald Acuna Jr. (Image via Imago)

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The Atlanta Braves were left concerned on Tuesday as Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered some discomfort in his right Achilles. The 2023 National League MVP would exit the game after suffering this injury. On Wednesday, there was a slight positive update for him as he suffered a Grade 1 strain and avoided the worst-case scenario.

Following a record-breaking season in 2023, Acuna Jr. missed the majority of the 2024 season as he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). This was the second ACL injury he had suffered in his career (first one was in 2021).

After almost a year on the sidelines, Acuna Jr. returned to MLB action this May. In his first at-bat of the 2025 season, he went yard, reminding everyone about his hitting capabilities.

Since then, he has been one of the top performers of the team. He would earn his 5th All-Star appearance this year and was batting with a .306 average with 14 home runs and 26 RBIs.

On Monday, he would face some discomfort after scoring from first base on a double from Austin Riley. A day later in the game against the Kansas City Royals, Acuna Jr. experienced some pain while scoring from first base again.

He felt some tightness in his right Achilles and exited the game. He was later seen wearing a protective boot.

As per Mark Bowman, the results of his tests revealed that he has a Grade 1 right calf strain. As a result of this, Acuna Jr. will be out of action for 2-3 weeks and will be able to return to the team, just as the Braves organization had anticipated.

Atlanta Braves management received major flak following Ronald Acuna Jr.’s injury

On Tuesday, the Atlanta Braves lost Ronald Acuna Jr. to the injured list once again as he expressed some discomfort in his right leg. After details of his injury broke out, the Braves management would receive major flak from fans on social media.

Ronald Acuna Jr.
Ronald Acuna Jr. (Image via X/@BRWalkoff)

Several users questioned the team for allowing Acuna Jr. to play on Tuesday, a day after he was not feeling well while scoring from 1st base. Manager Brian Snitker found himself under severe criticism and caught a lot of heat for his decision to play the Venezuelan international.

MLB insider and former Detroit Tigers star Ben Verlander dropped a 5-word message regarding this. He expressed that everyone should be “fired” if it is a tear.

If it’s torn… fire everyone.

Ben Verlander on X

Luckily, the injury was not as severe as originally hoped. While speaking to the reporters regarding his injury, Acuna Jr. admitted that this injury was worse because he was playing through the pain in the first place.

He was advised to take the day off on Tuesday. However, the 27-year-old insisted on playing as he had already missed a lot of games.

Ronald Acuna Jr. set to miss Speedway Classic

This upcoming weekend, the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds will feature in the Speedway Classic. The historic game will take place inside a NASCAR Stadium at The Last Great Colosseum in Bristol, Tennessee on August 2nd. Ronald Acuna Jr. though will not be part of this game.

Ronald Acuna Jr.
Ronald Acuna Jr. (Image via Imago)

Following the injury to him, Acuna Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list. With him now being confirmed to have suffered a Grade 1 Strain, he will not feature for the team for at least 2-3 weeks, meaning he will be unable to be part of the Speedway Classic.

This game will be the series finale between them. The Braves will head into this series against the Reds, having lost 8 of their last 10 games and having a 45-62 record. Meanwhile, their opponents are 5-5 in their last 10 games, leaving them with a 57-52 record.

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