ATLANTA — Previously, the Braves experienced life without Ronald Acuña Jr.
It’s far from ideal, but it’s also not the death penalty.
In 2021, Acuña missed half of the season due to an ACL tear in his right knee, sustained three years prior. The Braves replaced him midseason with Jorge Sole, and they went on to win the World Series, with Soler winning MVP honours. The Braves are assessing the impact of Acuña’s left ACL tear sustained in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Acuña will miss the rest of 2024.
“It was kind of the worst-case scenario,” manager Brian Snitker said before the Braves’ first game after Acuña, an 8-4 Memorial Day loss to the Nationals. “We’re going to give somebody a chance to do something special in his absence.”
Right now, it’s going to be quite constant,” Snitker predicted. “This is what you see. “That’s who we have.” The Braves promoted J.P. Martínez from Triple-A Gwinnett to add depth, and designated veteran infielder Joey Wendle for assignment. Snitker announced Martínez, a 28-year-old rookie, as the team’s fourth outfielder.
Who will hit leadoff?
That will be flexible, Snitker stated. The Braves put Ozzie Albies in that place Monday against Parker, who allowed only four hits, including Duvall’s homer, while outpitching Charlie Morton. “It’s a day-to-day thing,” Snitker remarked. “I like [Albies] against the lefty, and I might stick with him [there]. I do not know. We’ll see how everyone else is doing and what things look like on a daily basis.
Albies has the most leadoff experience of any Braves regular, having appeared in 137 games. Kelenic (20 games) and Harris (four) both have a bit. Either could be a possibility in the future, but Albies is a switch-hitter, so it is unlikely to be due to a platoon situation.
