3 reasons the Braves activated Ronald Acuña Jr. ahead of schedule
By John Buhler
2. Ronald Acuña Jr. was playing some great baseball during his rehab assignment
Had Acuña had a rough go of it during his rehab assignment with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, chances are he would have played out the final handful of games before being recalled to the big-league roster on May 6. However, Acuña played exceedingly well in his six rehab assignment games with the Triple-A ball club. This no doubt expedited his swift return to the Atlanta roster.
In those six rehab games with the Stripers, Acuña slashed .368/.520/.421 with seven hits in 19 at-bats. He walked six times and stole three bases. Though he only had one extra-base hit during his brief rehab stint, it is clear that Acuña was seeing the ball well at the plate, running around the bases with great confidence and most importantly, being able to play with grace out in right field.
Ultimately, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos saw enough. He took in the game on Wednesday night in person before finally deciding to make the necessary roster move. Though it is a bit harsh to see get Alex Dickerson DFA’d in this transaction, all parties involved knew that this day would be coming. As soon as Acuña was healthy enough to return, Dickerson would be gone.
Acuña crushing his rehab assignment gave Anthopoulos the confidence needed to make the move.