Ronald Acuña Jr injury update: Venezuelan to miss the rest of the season

Venezuelan outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered a serious injury in the Atlanta Braves’ 8-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

The incident came during the first inning when the outfielder twisted his knee on a stolen base attempt and immediately collapsed on the field. It was soon decided by medical professionals that he should leave the game to undergo physical analysis.

Acuña Jr. was quickly sent for an MRI scan, which was when the worst was confirmed: the player had suffered a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and his MLB season is over, as revealed by the team on social media. Ronald himself then posted on X, simply saying “sorry”.

Acuña Jr to undergo surgery

It was also revealed that the National League MVP in 2023 will undergo surgery, but the date has yet to be confirmed. Acuña Jr. ends the campaign after having four home runs, 15 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 49 appearances on the diamond.

In 2021 the Venezuelan baseball player suffered another knee injury that caused him to miss most of the campaign; on that occasion, Ronald suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

“I saw that the catcher was giving the ball back to the pitcher very slowly. I was taking his time so I could steal third. But at that moment, he threw it hard. So I had to go back, and that’s when I felt it,” Acuña Jr. said Sunday.

The Braves, who are second in the National League East with a 30-20 record, will now be without Acuña for the rest of the MLB season. Their next game is against the Washington Nationals on Monday 27 May (4:10 p.m. EDT).