The Braves’ 8-1 victory was made a bit disappointing on Sunday when superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. left the game in the bottom of the first inning with a non-contact injury and was placed on the 10-day disabled list.
According to MLB.com, the Braves described the injury as soreness in his left knee, but the true extent of the damage won’t be known until Acuna undergoes an MRI in Atlanta on Sunday night.
Acuna took an extra step or two on his second lead from second base and his knee buckled, causing him to immediately fall to the ground.
Braves trainers tended to Acuna on the field for several minutes before he was able to limp off the field.
After the game, Acuña told reporters he expects to go on the injured list and feels he could miss a month, similar to the one he missed in 2018 with a sprained left anterior cruciate ligament.
“At first I felt pain and it scared me, but after a while the pain went away,” Acuña said through an interpreter. “Hopefully, everything will be fine.”
The Braves outfielder is the reigning National League MVP and is batting .250 with four home runs and 15 RBIs this season after setting a career record in 2023.
During his MVP season, Acuña batted .337 with 41 home runs and 106 RBIs, all of which are career highs.
Sunday was a pretty good day for the Braves, with starter Chris Sale giving up just one run and striking out eight over seven innings on the mound.
Jarred Kelenic, who pitched in place of Acuna, recorded 3 hits in 4 at-bats in the game.
