It’s been exactly a year since the reigning 2023 NL MVP – Ronald Acuña Jr., tumbled to the ground and clutched his left knee when the Atlanta Braves went up against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Naturally, the Braves had a tough time coming to terms with it. They secured an 8-1 win against the Pirates, but it wasn’t celebratory. Now a year later, the Braves have their star right fielder back. But despite Acuna’s much-awaited return, top MLB insiders Trevor Plouffe and Chris Rose have delivered a surprising reality check on the Braves’ 2025 postseason run.

Acuna Jr delivered exceptionally in his six-game rehab stint in the minors. In fact, he went 6-for-15 with two homers, before he was back on the field on 24th May, facing the San Diego Padres at Truist Field.

Talking about his return on the Baseball Today podcast, Chris Rose said, “With Acuña and now Spencer Strider back, the Braves will finish the year…” And Plouffe, without flinching, added, “In the playoffs.” Oh yes, by the way, Spencer Sider is back too! He made his way out of the injured list on 20th May. His first appearance after the return was a 4 ½ inning performance where he pitched 75 pitches.

While conducting the Braves podcast, Rose wanted Plouffe to narrow it down. He said, “Wow, but no, I mean, how about as a wild card, as a division champ in the National League Championship Series, in the World Series, as a World Series champion? Let’s try and narrow it down.”

Plouffe replied, “It’s a wild card. I don’t think they are going to win the division. I don’t know, man. Like, the outcomes are all over the place just because of how good the National League is. So, I say a playoff team, but there ain’t no guarantee of that.”

It was a season-ending injury for both Acuña and Strider. Acuna has actually suffered an ACL tear two times. With their return, the Braves can boost their offense and pitching side. That’s when both of them return stronger than ever. Plouffe added, “They seem to me like they’d be a playoff team.”

Meanwhile, Rose’s stance was clear. He believes, “Oh, I think they’re definitely going to be a playoff team. They started the night seven and a half back of Philadelphia with the Mets squeezed in between. I’m going to say this: I think they will be champions of the NL East.”

Apparently, the Braves have played three games against the Phillies and the Mets. They’re indeed ahead of them. Now, they have 10 more games against the Phillies and 13 against the Mets. When it comes to Acuña, Rose said, “I think they were trying to figure out how to get through without Ronald Acuña Jr. at the top of their lineup, dude.”

Acuna’s return was highly awaited. So, how did he perform in his first appearance after a year?

How did Acuña’s first game back after the injury go?

Acuna was exactly a year away from action due to a torn ACL. The 27-year-old entered the field against the San Diego Padres in his same leadoff position and made sure to leave an impact. He delivered a 467-foot home run at his very first at-bat. It came against the Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta. From his bat, the ball soared off at 115.5 mph. And guess what? This figure marks the hardest-hit ball by any Braves ace this 2025 season.

Despite stellar performance from Acuña’s explosive bat, the Braves fell 2-1 short to the Padres. But it wasn’t the Braves’ loss that made headlines; it was Acuña and his stunning at-bat comeback.

Braves manager Brian Snitker addressed Acuña’s presence after the game. He said, “He’s one of those players that you better not go get a beer or whatever because you might miss something really cool.” Clearly, Snitker couldn’t hold back his excitement to have Acuña back.

The Braves are once again going up against the Padres on Sunday. After an impressive performance in his comeback game, Acuna would want to continue the momentum and, more importantly, would want to win the game.