Braves sadly in familiar territory with latest Ronald Acuña Jr. injury news

It is not going to be easy the rest of the way for Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.

With Ronald Acuña Jr. still dealing with knee issues, the Atlanta Braves find themselves in familiar territory when it comes to this year’s postseason push.

Although he is not down for the count like he was a year ago, Atlanta has to accept Acuña is not going to be anything close to 100 percent heading into September and October. Braves skipper Brian Snitker and general manager Alex Anthopoulos are blessed to have a talented roster to offset any lingering issues with Acuña’s knee. For now, they have to manage it the best they can.

So what does this mean for the Braves heading into the final month of the 2022 regular season?

Atlanta Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr.’s knee will be an issue for the rest of the season

The biggest issue with his knee is being able to play right field on a consistent basis. He can still hit and run the bases well to some degree. However, the Braves are at their best when he can provide his range and rocket arm while manning right field. This is why the pickup of Robbie Grossman has been so critical, as well as getting Eddie Rosario back off the injured list after his eye issues earlier.

Losing Adam Duvall for the season hurts the Braves both defensively and from a power perspective from the right side. Rosario has tremendous power from the left side of the plate, but will make an occasional boneheaded play in the outfield. Grossman has been playing out of his mind since being traded over from the Detroit Tigers. And let’s not talk about persona non grata…

Look. Every team is dealing with injuries this time of the year. Atlanta is fortunate that Acuña is not done for the year. The Braves are also getting back second baseman Ozzie Albies and, hopefully, right-hander Mike Soroka soon. Although he is a brilliant player whenever he is out there, Acuña cannot be counted on to start every game like he is Dansby Swanson this season.

For this to work, Acuña, Anthopoulos and Snitker must have clear and honest communication.