Chris Sale starts Thursday as Ronald Acuña Jr and Austin Riley return to the lineup.
Ronald Acuña Jr. will make his return to the lineup Thursday when the Atlanta Braves host the Tampa Bay Rays in Grapefruit League action. Chris Sale will get the start for Atlanta while Zack Littell will be on the mound for the Rays.
Acuña missed the last two weeks due to some soreness in his surgically repaired right knee. Further evaluation revealed some irritation around his meniscus and the Braves have been rightly cautious. Acuña has been working out on the field and taking batting practice and is now ready to make the next progression in returning to the lineup as the DH for Thursday’s game.
Also returning to the lineup is Austin Riley, who will be at third base and bat second. Riley hasn’t played in four days and has been dealing with a stomach bug.
Sale will make his fourth start of the spring in Thursday’s game. He allowed four hits and three runs over 3 2⁄3 innings in his last appearance against the Orioles.
Thursday afternoon baseball on deck!#BravesST pic.twitter.com/qDyXIcmWbF
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 14, 2024
For the Rays, Yandy Diaz, Ahmed Rosario and Randy Arozarena all made the trip and are in the lineup for Thursday’s game.
No TV broadcast again for Thursday’s game, but the game can be streamed from the Braves’ homepage or via MLB.tv.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Thursday, March 14, 1:05 p.m. ET
Location: CoolToday Park, North Port, Florida
TV: NONE
Streaming: Braves.com, MLB.com, MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan