Braves give injury update on star Ronald Acuña

The Atlanta Braves avoided disaster with Ronald Acuña, at least for now.

Acuña was drilled on the hand during Saturday night’s marathon against the Philadelphia Phillies. While some Braves fans think Sam Coonrod opted to plunk Acuña on purpose given the high-and-tight nature of both his pitches to the slugger (who had homered off him in a previous at-bat), for now there’s no reason to expect much drama between the two sides.

The Braves gave an update on Acuña’s status for Sunday night baseball, as it looks like he could be in the starting lineup despite initial fears that an injured list stint was in his future. Brian Snitker even stated that Acuña “dodged a bullet.”

Braves: Ronald Acuña HBP continues a concerning trend

Acuña has been hit 22 times in 344 career games, which is already three more times than Chipper Jones was plunked in his entire career.

Sure, Acuña’s batting stance does lend itself to inside contact, especially since he thrives on the outer half of the plate. Pitchers will continue to pitch Acuña inside until he proves he can hit it with the same consistent power as he does the outer half, or until he gets out of the way. Thus far, Acuña hasn’t shied away from contact, even if that means a bad bruise or two on his hand/wrist area.

This is the second time Acuña’s been injured this year, as he was forced on the IL with an abdominal strain in mid April. Since returning from that injury April 23, his red-hot start has faded slightly. Acuña has hit only .200/.328/.400 since that injury.

For now, the Braves are just relieved he’s okay.