Braves get 'best news possible' from Acuña's MRI

ATLANTA -- Along with being happy about his team’s comeback victory, Braves manager Brian Snitker exited Saturday’s 6-5 win over the Padres thrilled to reveal Ronald Acuña Jr. received good news after undergoing an MRI exam on Saturday.

“It’s the best news possible,” Snitker said. “There was nothing big. He’s just going to be day to day. I don’t know how long it will be. But there’s nothing from the MRI that showed he’s going to be shut down.”

Acuña’s surgically repaired knee hasn’t been a problem. But the Braves outfielder tweaked his right groin during Tuesday’s game against the Red Sox and continued to feel discomfort while missing each of the next three games. This led the team’s medical staff to do further evaluation with Saturday’s MRI.

Snitker said Acuña will likely not play on Sunday, but he didn’t shut the door on the outfielder being back in the lineup for Monday’s series opener against Milwaukee. The Braves are working with a short bench. But there doesn’t seem to be any current talk about putting Acuña on the injured list.

Acuña has played just 10 games since returning from a torn right ACL, so there has been reason to ask if the knee has played a part in this absence. But Snitker again made it clear this is just a groin issue.

“I haven’t had any reports about the knee,” Snitker said. “It’s just from all the running and sliding with the groin.”