Braves Offseason Questions: What’s the plan for Ronald Acuña Jr?

This concludes a series highlighting the biggest offseason questions facing the Braves this winter, and I saved the most important for last.

If you missed any of the previous editions to this series, follow the links below.

Should Braves trade Jorge Soler? How will the Braves replace Max Fried? Will the Braves retain A.J.

Minter? Time to make a splash in the outfield? Can Braves replace Orlando Arcia? Whats the plan for Ronald Acuna Jr .? Unfortunately, the biggest concern for the Braves heading into 2025 is completely out of their control.

Ronald Acuna Jr.

when healthy might be the best player in baseball not named Shohei Ohtani .

However, health has been a problem his entire career, and hes now suffered a torn ACL two times over the span of four seasons.

The first time Ronald Acuna Jr.

returned to the field a little over 10 months after the injury.

On that timeline, he could potentially be ready for Opening Day with little restrictions.

However, Acuna learned a lot from the first go-round, and hes already said he felt like he rushed back in 2022, when he went on to have by far the worst season of his career.

Thats not something hes going to do again, as he said a little over a month ago.

I think going into next season, Im just gonna try to be a little more patient than the last go around, Acuna said .

After having undergone both of these surgeries that have obviously taken a big toll, Im just gonna be patient.

The 2023 NL MVP also suggested the days of him stealing 40-50 bags a season might be a thing of the past.

Im really gonna try and focus on my hitting, my fielding, anything that I can to help the team win, Acuna said.

In regards to running and stealing those bases, I dont know if Ill be able to steal the 40 or 50 bags as easily.

I dont know how thats gonna play out in the future.

Ronald Acuna Jr.s main focus heading into next season? Patience.

Focus on my hitting, fielding and anything I can do to help the team win.

I dont know if I will be able to steal the 40 or 50 bags as easily.

pic.twitter.com/sWYo2aWG4g Braves On FanDuel Sports Network (@BravesOnBally) September 25, 2024 Theres a very real possibility Ronald Acuna Jr.

isnt ready for Opening Day.

Even further, the Braves should be attempting to mitigate as many risks as possible, which could mean using him as a DH, either part-time or permanently.

That creates an even greater conundrum in regards to Jorge Soler and Marcell Ozuna , which Ive already talked about at length since the season ended .

Neither of them can be trusted to play the outfield.

Its essentially a foregone conclusion that one of them will be traded, and if the Braves believe whats best for Acunas long-term health is for him to DH next season, its likely both Ozuna and Soler will not be on the roster next year.

The difficult part for the Braves is the unknown.

They really dont know how Acunas knee is going to feel and whether hell be able to play the outfield for several months.

That really hamstrings Alex Anthopoulos and company, making these rough waters even more difficult to navigate this winter.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission..

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