Braves Announce Ronald Acuña Jr. News After 5 Missed Games
The Atlanta Braves have not made it easy on themselves lately. A Bo Bichette grand slam powered the New York Mets to a 7-5 win over Atlanta on Friday night, and the Braves dropped two more games: Sunday's series finale and Tuesday's game to the San Francisco Giants 6-2 as they opened a new series at Truist Park.
The cushion that once felt comfortable has now been lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who sit at 46-27 and hold the best record in baseball, with the Braves dropping to 46-26.
The slide has coincided with the absence of Ronald Acuña Jr. Acuña left a game against the Chicago White Sox on June 9 with a left hamstring injury after trying to beat out an infield single. An MRI the following day confirmed a Grade 1 strain, marking his second hamstring issue in the same leg this season, having already missed time from May 3 to 18 with the same injury.
Acuña was placed back on the 10-day injured list, with Rowdy Tellez called up in the corresponding roster move.
Wednesday brought a more sobering update. Hours before the game against San Francisco, manager Walt Weiss told reporters that Acuña is a "long way" from returning. Because the hamstring strain is in the same spot as the previous injury, the Braves intend to be more cautious than they were when Acuña missed nearly three weeks the first time around (via Mark Bowman of MLB.com).
Weiss said Acuña is a "long way" from returning. Because the hamstring strain is in the same spot, the Braves will be more cautious than they were when Acuña missed nearly three weeks with the previous strain
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 17, 2026
It is unfortunate news for a lineup that has otherwise carried this team to its best start in recent years. Acuña was hitting .281 with five home runs and a .913 OPS in 25 games since returning from his first IL stint on April 26.
Injuries, most notably a pair of torn ACLs, have limited Acuña to 557 of a possible 877 regular-season games since 2021, and this latest setback adds another chapter to a resume that includes a 2023 National League MVP award and a 41-homer, 73-steal season that remains one of the most remarkable in recent memory.
This marks the seventh different injury that has sent him to the injured list across his nine MLB seasons.
The Braves have weathered plenty already this year and still hold the best record in the National League East. They'll hope they can return to winning ways without their superstar in front of their home fans on Wednesday.
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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 5:43 PM.