UPDATE: Ronald Acuña Jr. will be placed on IL
The update that nobody wanted. According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Braves superstar will be put on the Injured List after leaving Tuesday's game with right Achilles tightness.
It's not confirmed how long Acuña Jr. will stay on the IL, but it's a gut punch either way to see him injured once more after coming back so smoothly from last year's ACL tear. We don't want to assume the worst here, but Achilles injuries are always scary.
Ronald Acuña Jr. leaves game with Achilles tightness
Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. was removed from Tuesday's game with right Achilles tightness, according to the Braves social media pages. There is currently no further update on the severity of the injury, so let's hope it's just a precautionary measure and nothing that will require a stint on the IL. The specific use of the word "Achilles" is concerning, but with him still working his way back from a long-term injury, this very well could be an overly cautious approach, which is the correct way to operate with a superstar.
The Braves were trailing 7-3 against the Royals when he was removed, and Acuña was 0-2 with a walk in the game. He ran to attempt to catch a foul ball in right field, and appeared to start limping slightly while chasing down the ball. He then left the game under his own power, jogging off the field back to the clubhouse.
Another Ronald Acuña Jr. injury would be miserable for everyone
Braves fans, Braves haters, baseball fans in general — no one enjoys when a star of the game is out, especially if he just came back from an injury like Acuña did this season. He's hitting over .300 with an OPS of over 1.000 so far in 2025. Here's to hoping this isn't the end of his campaign this year.