Acuña hopes to be ready for Opening Day, vows to 'be patient'

ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr. produced one of the greatest seasons in MLB history last year. The Braves' outfielder has spent this year dealing with the reality that a second major knee injury may prevent him from being as dynamic as he was in the past.

“I think [I'm] going to be patient,” Acuña said through an interpreter. “We’re really going to focus on my hitting and fielding and anything I can do to help the team win. In regards to running and stealing those bases, I don’t know if I’ll be able to steal the 40 or 50 bags as easily. I think that’s still to be seen. But yeah, I just don’t know how that’s going to play out.”

Acuña earned his first National League MVP Award last year after becoming the first player ever to tally 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in the same season. The incredible performance was proof he had overcome the torn right ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) that caused him to miss the second half of the 2021 season.

Now, he is going to have to prove he can remain elite with two surgically repaired ACLs. Acuña tore the left one while running the bases during a May 26 game in Pittsburgh. The hope is he’ll be ready for the start of the 2025 season, but he made it clear he will remain cautious.

“I’m just going to be a little more cautious and careful with it,” Acuña said. “If the team and the doctors tell me I'm ready to go and I go out there and I don't feel good, or something's bothering me, then I will say something.”

So, what does Acuña expect he will be able to do at the start of Spring Training?

“If I’m feeling good, everyone knows I’m going to want to play, I’m going to want to be out there,” Acuña said. “If I’m feeling good, that’s probably what we have. But at the end of the day, it’s dependent on how I’m feeling.”

Acuña has spent most of the past few months rehabbing in Los Angeles. So there was plenty to discuss on Wednesday, when he met with the Atlanta media for the first time since the immediate aftermath of the injury four months ago.

There was obviously reason to get his thoughts on Shohei Ohtani hitting 50-plus homers and stealing 50-plus bases this year. Was this more impressive than Acuña’s 40-70 season?

“That’s a good question, but I think that’s a debate for you guys to talk about,” Acuña said.

Acuña watched the Braves win the 2021 World Series after being sidelined just before that season’s All-Star break. He has now watched his team remain in the postseason hunt despite the fact that he is one of six members of the Opening Day lineup (starting pitcher Spencer Strider included) who have missed at least two months because of an injury this year.

“It feels good to continue to have that success,” Acuña said. “I’m sorry to have to phrase it this way, but no one is irreplaceable in baseball. Injuries are a part of the game. They happen. When somebody goes down, somebody is going to step in and take their spot.”