The entire crowd at Truist Park held its breath as Ronald Acuña Jr. pointed to his shin with excruciating pain written all over his face. The Atlanta Braves outfielder just fouled a ball to his left leg and couldn’t get his feet beneath him. The initial diagnosis offered some relief with the X-ray coming back negative. Still, Acuña’s injury and exit come at an uneasy time for Atlanta with the playoffs just a week away.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The Braves entered the bottom of the 3rd trailing the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 on Tuesday. The 28-year-old entered the batter’s box with 2 outs in the inning. He took a hard swing at a 91-mph cutter off Brandon Williamson. It ricocheted off the bottom side of his bat and hit his left leg. Acuña immediately fell to the ground. He then got up quickly and tried to hop on one leg. But he could only go a few steps before going down on all four.
“Everybody holds their breath anytime this happens with number 13. And he is down in a heap of pain,” the broadcast booth could be heard, per Talkin’ Baseball.
He turned to stretch his leg and put his head on his arm, unable to process the pain. The Braves $100 million star then pointed just above his leg guard to show where it hurts. And the entire stadium was silent, watching him struggle to get up. Manager Walt Weiss and athletic trainer Jeff Stevenson were by his side, trying to understand how serious the issue was.
The right fielder finally stood up with the help of Stevenson, and the crowd started clapping. But the concern on their faces was still too apparent. Acuña even tried to lace the guard on his leg up. But it was clear that he was in no condition to continue.
He limped to the dugout and went through the tunnel for tests. At around 8:30 EDT, shortly after the injury, the Braves updated on social media that the X-ray came back negative and they put him on day-to-day.
While that was a bit of a relief, the more concerning news hit within ten minutes of that. Lindsay Crosby from Braves Today notified that a potential bone bruise wouldn’t show up on the MRI. In such a case, blood and fluid will build up near the injured bone. Depending on how much fluid breaks into that space, it will not only result in swelling and pain, but according to MLB, it may even lead to a fracture that can result in a six month absence for the Brave.
We have already seen Max Fried, the New York Yankees pitcher, spend significant time on the injured list this season due to a bone bruise in his throwing elbow. Even Marcelo Mayer from the San Francisco Giants suffered a bone bruise in his right leg and missed several games in 2026.
Ronald Acuña Jr. could be the latest to go down that list. And given his previous injuries this year, Atlanta finds itself in a tight spot just before the postseason.
A crucial return makes the scare even more frustrating
The 5x MLB All-Star missed 15 days in May due to a left hamstring strain. But he couldn’t even play a full month before the issue resurfaced. Acuña missed 37 games before returning to the roster on July 27.
The outfielder played just 49 games in 2024 as an ACL tear abruptly ended the season for him. He missed the postseason as well. The next year, he was absent during Spring Training and the first two months of the regular season due to recovery. He made a comeback in late May and played only 95 games.
Ronald Acuña Jr. last played a full season in 2023. While his numbers are below his career average, he has been productive enough with 55 RBIs and 20 home runs.
Atlanta has qualified for the playoffs, clinching the NL East title. But they are the 3rd-seeded team. That means they will have to play the Wild Card Series. And if Crosby’s concern turns out to be a fact, then the Braves have a lot to worry about his inclusion in the postseason roster.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” the Braves manager said after the X-ray. “He’s going to be sore. Obviously we’ll err on the side of caution at this time of the year. But all things considered, it’s good news.”
Atlanta will have to wait for a few days to have a clearer picture of Acuña’s future.