ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will have his injured left knee reevaluated next week as he works to return to the lineup after undergoing ACL surgery last year.
Acuña, who tore his left ACL on May 26 and had surgery on June 6, will travel to Los Angeles for the checkup, Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
The 2023 National League MVP has been taking live batting practice, but he has not been cleared to do any start-and-stop running or cutting, Snitker said. The 27-year-old slugger has not run out of the batter’s box in his workouts.
“They just have to check him out and sign off on it before they can do that,” Snitker said. “And I think this was just part of the plan initially. I don’t think he’s going to rush it or anything. This has been the case from the get-go.”
Acuña was hurt after 49 games last season, when he hit .250 with four home runs. In his MVP season, the four-time MLB All-Star had 41 home runs, 73 steals and a .337 batting average while holding down the leadoff spot in Atlanta’s lineup.