The 2023 NL MVP is back!
Nearly one year to the day that superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. tore the ACL in his left knee, the 2023 National League MVP will return to the Braves in time for Friday’s home series against the Padres, according to multiple reports.
Ronald Acuña Jr. will be activated tomorrow when the series between the Braves and Padres begins in Atlanta, per sources.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) May 22, 2025
Mark Bowman of MLB.com and Gabe Burns of the AJC have also suggested the return could be Friday.
Acuña was originally in Triple-A Gwinnett’s lineup for Thursday night, but he was scratched around 6:00 p.m. ET. Shortly after came the reporting that Acuña’s return to the majors could be just 24 hours away.
Acuña played his first rehab game on Tuesday, May 13 in the FCL and then promptly moved to Triple-A Gwinnett. Over the course of 19 plate appearances, Ronald absolutely mashed to the tune of a .417/.632/.833 batting line with monstrous batted ball data. One big hurdle for the outfielder to clear was to play a full nine innings in right field, which he did on Wednesday. It seems the training staff is confident Acuña’s knee is ready to go.
Stay tuned for continued updates. It seems likely the Braves will officially confirm the move following tonight’s series finale in D.C.
UPDATE [10:22 p.m. ET]: The Braves officially announced that Acuña will be back starting tomorrow.
La Bestia is BACK @ronaldacunajr24 pic.twitter.com/1Ccmd38SXU
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 23, 2025