Ronald Acuña Jr. set for Braves return as right fielder after hamstring scare

Ronald Acuña Jr. returns to Braves’ outfield after two-month injury absence

Ronald Acuña Jr. will return to the Atlanta Braves’ lineup later this week as their primary right fielder after missing more than two months with a left hamstring strain. The 28-year-old Venezuelan outfielder reaggravated the injury in early June during a game against the Chicago White Sox, forcing him out of action since then.

What happened to Ronald Acuña Jr.?

Acuna first suffered the left hamstring strain in late May before reaggravating it on June 4 against the White Sox. He has played just 53 of 98 possible games this season, though he’s made steady progress on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett. Manager Walt Weiss confirmed Acuna will slot back into right field when activated, not slide into the designated hitter role full-time.

Why the Braves are sticking with Ronald Acuña Jr. in right field

The Braves can’t afford to bench Acuna despite his injury history, given his offensive production when healthy. Across 195 at-bats this season, he owns a .251 average, .373 on-base percentage, .793 OPS, seven homers and 22 RBIs. Weiss cited the team’s catching depth-Drake Baldwin, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year and an All-Star-as a reason Acuna can’t take every DH spot, since Baldwin needs those starts twice in every five-game stretch.

What comes next for Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Braves

Acuna’s return comes as the Braves’ NL East lead over the Philadelphia Phillies has tightened from double digits in June to just three games entering Monday’s series opener against San Diego. The Braves took the opener to help pad their division margin, and getting Acuna back in the outfield stabilizes both the lineup and the standings race. He’ll continue to build game reps in Gwinnett before rejoining the big-league club later this week.