Braves’ Acuña suffers torn right ACL, will miss remainder of the season
MIAMI - Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. will undergo season-ending surgery after completely tearing his right ACL, the team said Saturday night.
Acuña Jr. was carted off the field in tears during Atlanta’s 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday. He then underwent an MRI, which was followed by the team's announcement that he would miss the remainder of this season.
In a post-game press conference earlier Saturday night, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Acuña the team hoped to know more about his status by Sunday morning.
"He’s in a lot of pain, I can tell you that. It’s a tough break for the team and for him," Snitker said.
Acuña landed awkwardly on his right leg after jumping on the warning track in right field to try to catch a drive from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fifth inning. He slammed into the outfield wall and crumbled on the warning track, immediately grabbing his right knee while Chisholm sprinted out an inside-the-park homer.
Acuña tried to walk off but dropped back to the ground in shallow right field. A trainer tended to him while a cart was retrieved, and concerned teammates gathered quietly around him.
Tears welled in the 23-year-old’s eyes as he waited. When the cart pulled around to the nearby warning track, he had to be helped over and did not put any weight on his right leg.
Max Fried gave up three straight hits but settled down to retire the side with two strikeouts after the injury.
"You never like to see one of your teammates come up injured after trying to make a great play," Fried said. "It’s obviously very unfortunate, but you have to stay with the task at hand and finish the game."
Chisholm at first thought Acuña was going to make the catch and didn’t realize the severity of the injury until after he crossed home plate.
"A guy like that, him getting injured, the baseball world is going to miss him if he’s out for a long time," Chisholm said. "Hopefully he gets better."
Acuña is slated to start in the outfield for the NL All-Star team in Tuesday’s game, his third appearance. He is hitting .283 with 24 home runs and 52 RBIs for the three-time defending NL East champions, who started the day in second place behind the New York Mets.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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