In July 2021, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.
He missed his team’s World Series run and was limited in the 2022 campaign.
He then recovered and won the NL MVP award in 2023.
Unfortunately, his 2024 season will now be marked by another long-term knee injury, this time to his left ACL.
The Braves have already placed him on the injured list and declared him out for the season after he got hurt over the weekend.
It’s yet another blow for the supremely talented Acuna, whose career has been marred by injuries and unexpected circumstances.
“Ronald Acuña Jr.’s age-22 through age-26 seasons: 2020: COVID season; 2021: Torn ACL; 2022: Limited by ACL recovery; 2023: Wins MVP; 2024: Torn ACL. Devastating,” Zach Dillard tweeted.
Ronald Acuña Jr.’s age-22 through age-26 seasons:
2020: COVID season
2021: Torn ACL
2022: Limited by ACL recovery
2023: Wins MVP
2024: Torn ACLDevastating.
— Zach Dillard (@Zach_Dillard) May 27, 2024
You could say that his last “normal” season was 2023, and he was able to show all his talent and won the MVP.
He also had relatively regular campaigns in 2018 and 2019, but the pandemic shortened his season and everybody else’s in 2020.
After that, it has been a rocky road that included his lone fully healthy season in 2023, and the ACL injury years.
He is young and talented – even if he wasn’t having his best season, with a .716 OPS – and should be back in full swing next year.
The Braves, however, will miss their star guy this year as they try to mount another World Series challenge.
They were already having some issues with the Philadelphia Phillies this year, and are currently six games behind them in the NL East standings.
Now, without Acuna, their chances of catching them decrease even further.
