Even in a night where he wasn’t the top player of the game, Ronald Acuña Jr. arguably stole the show in the Atlanta Braves ‘ 9-5 win over the San Francisco Giants.
The five-time All-Star went 1-for-2 with three walks and three runs scored in the game. The highlight of the night came on the basepaths in the bottom of the fourth. Drake Baldwin hit a chopper that skipped past the diving Casey Schmitt at second base to get into right field.
Acuña can be seen turning on the jets as he’s running toward second base. He got all the way around to home and slid under the tag with a decent amount of room.
“He’s one guy who can get away with stuff like that, because he’s got the retrorockets,” manager Brian Snitker said after the win. “I mean, he’s got another gear.”
It’s something every night. On Friday, he threw out a runner at third base as he caught a ball over his head and got a throw off while flat-footed. Then, on Sunday, he hit a 456-foot home run to center that came off the bat at over 113 miles per hour. Come Monday, he flashed the speed again. Each of his tools can be on full display at any given time.
Acuña gave credit to those who helped him get back to full health for making those moments possible.
“I want to give all the credit to the coaching staff and the medical staff and basically everyone who put in all the work and time to get me ready for this opportunity and this situation to be playing in. So, all the credit to them,” Acuña said via director of baseball player relations Franco García, translating.
Heading into the season, there was discussion on how much Acuña would be willing to push on the basepaths. So far, he’s cut back on stolen bases as expected. While he had four in June, he hasn’t swiped a bag in July. However, he hasn’t been afraid to push for home when he gets the chance.
As 2023 National League MVP’s injury moves further into the rear view mirror and he gets closer to full strength, he aims to get back to old ways on the basepaths – becuase, yes, we’re still seeing limited version of him now.
“I’ll probably continue to become more aggressive on the basepaths, and I think that’s just going to happen organically and depending on how I feel,” Acuña said via García. “As much as I need the team, I know the team needs me to do certain things, but I think it’s just going to depend on how I continue to feel. But if I continue to progress, then yeah, I’ll continue to become more aggressive.”
Acuña is determined to be just as good, if not better, after his knee injuries than he was before. Snitker is confident in his right fielder to make that happen.
“There’s no doubt he’s gonna be,” Snitker said. “Once he gets through this year, and he’s just like the pitchers who come back after surgery. He has a normal offseason and a whole Spring Training. You’re probably gonna see him get itchy and wanna start running again.”
So what fans are already in awe about this season is simply a sample of what could be coming as Acuña gets healthier and more comfortable. Don’t tune for what’s left of 2025, because you’ll miss the build up to what could come in 2026.
