Ronald Acuña Jr.'s admission about his injury is absolutely heartbreaking

The Atlanta Braves are without Ronald Acuña Jr., the reigning National League MVP, for the remainder of the 2024 season after he suffered a torn left ACL in Sunday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It's a heartbreaking development for Acuña and the Braves. This is Acuña's second season-ending ACL injury after he tore his right knee during the 2021 campaign. Atlanta famously won the World Series that season, and Acuña came back better than ever. In 2023, he became the first player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases.

He wasn't off to quite the same start in 2024 — .250/.351/.365 with four home runs and 15 RBI in 192 AB — but there is no underestimating Acuña's value to the Braves' lineup. Had he been afforded the chance to break out of his slump, the Braves were destined to move up the NL East standings and test the first-place Phillies eventually.

That can still happen, of course. The Braves are one of the deepest and most talented teams in baseball. Even without their top offensive weapon in the mix, Atlanta has the firepower to mount another deep postseason run. Nobody is more aware of that fact than Acuña.

Ronald Acuña Jr. believes Braves can win World Series without him

Acuña still has faith in the Braves — faith rooted in history.

Atlanta's best hope is that this season mirrors 2021, when Acuña watched from the dugout as his teammates eliminated the Houston Astros in the World Series. That season was defined by a flurry of midseason trades, one of which returned current Braves outfielder Adam Duvall. It is Duvall who has been tasked with replacing Acuña in the interim, with Alex Anthopoulos widely expected to target outfield depth in the months to come.

At 31-23, the Braves are still well positioned to compete for a postseason spot. The last couple weeks have been tough beyond the injury news, but the level of talent on this Braves roster still eclipses all but a handful of MLB teams.

For Acuña, the hardest part is feeling like he let the team and the fanbase down. That is not the case, of course — these injuries are an act of God, completely out of Acuña's control — but it's clear the mega-talented outfielder is battling through the emotions of another unfortunate knee injury.

The hope is that Acuña is back in good time next season. There may never come a point when concerns about Acuña's knees dissipate, but so long as he's available, the Braves will build their roster around him. He is a generational talent who deserves better.

Here's to hoping for a swift recovery. In the meantime, it's up to Atlanta to live up to Acuña's words and put together a deep run in his honor.