PITTSBURGH — Instead of celebrating Chris Sale’s recent strong start or their 8-1 victory over the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park, the Braves were forced to reflect on the reality that Ronald Acuna Jr. will likely be out for an extended period of time.
Acuña left the first inning due to what the team described as soreness in his left knee. An exact diagnosis won’t be available until the National League MVP returns to Atlanta with the team. He will undergo an MRI and other tests Sunday night after meeting with team doctors.
But Acuña is confident that his condition means it’s not a torn ACL like the one he suffered in his right knee in 2021. He compares the discomfort he’s feeling to the pain he felt on May 27, 2018, when he sprained the ACL in his left knee while trying to hit back for an infield hit at Fenway Park. He missed a month with the pain.
“I think I’m going to miss the same amount of time. [as I did in 2018]”They gave me a 10-day [injured list]I will have an MRI tonight and will confirm the results.”
The uncertainty surrounding Acuña’s status put a damper on a fairly productive day for the Braves. Sale gave up one run and struck out eight in seven innings. He said goodbye to his 21-inning shutout streak, but got plenty of support from Matt Olson, who hit a two-run double in the fifth and beat Aroldis Chapman in the eighth with a solo home run that bounced over the right-field fence and into the Allegheny River.
Still, Sale’s eighth win and Olson’s eighth homer were merely side effects on a day when injuries may once again be plaguing the Braves’ stars. Acuna’s injury came just one day before the Braves were scheduled to welcome back Sean Murphy and Austin Riley to the lineup. Murphy has been out since Opening Day with a left oblique strain, and Riley has been out for two weeks with a left side strain.
“You never want to see anybody play like that on any side of the field,” Sale said. “He’s a big part of this team. He’s one of the best players in the game. You just wish him the best.”
Acuna let out a scream and collapsed to the infield grass between second and third base, instantly shocking everyone. He took a big lead to second and moved toward third base as catcher Joey Bart threw the ball back to pitcher Martin Pérez. Acuna’s left knee appeared to give way before he hit the ground.
“I saw the catcher throw the ball back to the pitcher really slowly,” Acuna said. “I was timing it so I could steal third base, but at that moment he threw it hard, so I had to go back and that’s when I felt it.”
Acuña held his left knee while being evaluated by the Braves’ medical staff and limped off the field under his own power, but was forced to stop briefly near first base.
Unlike when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament three years ago, he didn’t feel his knee pop.
“We don’t know how bad it is until we test it,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s very concerning. When he goes down like that, you assume the worst. But we won’t know until we test it.”
Acuña missed the remainder of the 2021 season after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament just before the All-Star break and was limited in 2022, but he was the first player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases last year and won his first MVP award.
The timing of the setback added to the frustration that has surrounded Acuña all season. He’s batting .250 with a .716 OPS and has just 13 extra-base hits this season, but four of them, including Sunday’s leadoff double, have come in his last 31 at-bats.
“I don’t know what it is, but I’m worried about him,” Braves outfielder Jarred Kelenic said. “I’m praying for him and hoping for a good outcome.”
