Ronald Acuña takes important step in injury recovery

Ronald Acuña is making progress in his return from a wrist injury

The Braves remain on top of the NL East, but it remains to be seen how long that lead will last given their frequent pitching struggles and a lineup that’s without Nick Markakis and Acuña. The division, from top to bottom, is a cluster of teams lacking a true identity, either because of unfamiliarity with winning or injuries. From top to bottom, only three games separate first and last place.

Acuña was placed on the injured list a week ago with a wrist issue, but has since made a major jump in his recovery. Per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, “Snitker said Acuña’s wrist is feeling better, but they won’t really know until attempts to start swinging a bat again tomorrow. The hope is Albies’ wrist will also be better after he did not swing a bat the past three days.”

How long can the Braves survive without Acuña?

The Braves strength is in their outfield, so even despite missing the likes of Markakis and Acuña, they have enough reinforcements, including top prospect Cristian Pache who was recently called up, to remain a competitive lineup top-to-bottom. Their pitching, however, is a different issue entirely.

Outside of Max Fried, the Braves haven’t been able to replace the production of Mike Soroka, who is out for the season. Fried is the only reliable starter the Braves have, and the rest of the rotation lacks anyone Snitker can count on every fifth day. A starting pitching upgrade is almost a sure thing for Atlanta before the trade deadline, but for now they can thankfully rely on a solid bullpen should their lineup give them enough of a cushion.

Every day without Acuña makes relying on that rotation a little bit tougher. Hopefully, should his swings go unhindered this weekend, he’ll be back sooner rather than later.