Braves: Ronald Acuña scratched from lineup with late-developing injury

Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña has been scratched from the lineup against the New York Mets.

Acuña got out of having to face New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom, which might be doing his MVP case a solid given how deGrom has performed so far this season. An NL Cy Young and MVP candidate himself, deGrom entered the game with just a .69 ERA.

Meanwhile, Acuña has been a rare glimmer of hope for the Braves in a season they’d like to forget. A series against the division-leading Mets presents an opportunity to perhaps turn things around before it’s too late. On Thursday, however, they’ll have to approach that opportunity without their best offensive threat.

Atlanta Braves face tough decisions at MLB Trade Deadline

At 38-41, the Braves are still just 4.5 games behind the division-leading Mets in the NL East. A quick run leading up to the late-July deadline could alter Alex Anthopoulos’ plans altogether.

For now, though, retooling for next season might be the right move. Atlanta doesn’t have much going for them. Marcell Ozuna has likely played his last game for the franchise after disturbing domestic assault allegations. Mike Soroka is out for the year. The group that was just a game away from winning the NL Pennant is virtually unrecognizable at this point.

Acuña and Co. still have a few weeks to make a run. That starts against the Mets.