Braves: Ronald Acuña makes it clear that something isn’t right

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña has not been hitting as well as he did earlier in the season, and the team knows it.

With the All-Star break just days away, the Atlanta Braves have been one of the league’s hottest teams. They have narrowed the gap with the New York Mets to pull themselves within a handful of games for first place in the NL East. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that they managed to do so with star outfielder Ronald Acuña in a slump.

The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz spoke to various members of the Braves, including hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who said the star is “struggling” and “frustrated.”

“He’s struggling,” said Seitzer, h/t The Athletic. “There’s mechanical stuff that we’re working on. He’s just having a hard time getting comfortable. It’s ongoing. It happens to all of them over the course of a year. He’s frustrated. He wants to do good, and he expects to do good.”

Braves: Ronald Acuna ‘struggling’ and ‘frustrated’

Acuña had been on fire to start the season. In the month of May, he slashed .292/.411/.458 while recording two home runs, nine RBI, and 21 hits. That was impressive, considering he was just making his return after recovering from a torn ACL suffered midway through the 2021 season.

But in the month of July, his numbers in the plate did take a hit. Entering July 16, Acuña recorded a .237 batting average, a .348 on-base percentage, and a .322 slugging percentage. He posted one home run, four RBI, and 14 hits.

As Schultz points out in his article, the Braves are still winning with their star outfielder dealing with his slump. Plenty of credit can be given to depth on the roster. They had players like shortstop Dansby Swanson, third baseman Austin Riley, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, and designated hitter William Contreras all step up. Those players who were also named to the All-Star Game alongside Acuña.

There is still plenty of time for Acuña to turn things around. But he can take solace in the fact that the Braves are still winningwhile he is trying to figure things out.