Ronald

Acuna Jr.

There was initially optimism that Acuña could return before Opening Day after he suffered his torn ACL, but that has faded, and now the outfielder is all but assuredly going to open the 2025 season on the 10-day injured list. With the former MVP sidelined, it’s expected that Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz will split time in right field with newly-signed Jurickson Profar handling left field and Michael Harris lined up in center. Even with the missed month, Acuña is well worth a (relatively) early draft selection this spring.

It always seemed like a bit of a long shot for Acuña to make it back at the outset of next season as he continues to recover from left knee surgery to repair a torn ACL. The murkiness surrounding his return, and possibility of setbacks delaying it well into the year, make the 26-year-old generational talent one of the more difficult early-round calls for fantasy managers heading into 2025 drafts. There should be a more definitive timetable from the Braves at some point closer to spring training.

Acuña continues to rehab in Los Angeles from surgery back in early June to repair a torn ACL in his left knee and Anthopoulos’ latest remarks back up initial return estimates that had the 26-year-old fantasy superstar set to return by the outset of next season, barring any setbacks.

It’s a procedural move that creates room on the 40-man roster. Acuña Jr. will miss the rest of 2024 after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the procedure in Los Angeles. Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters Thursday that Acuña will stay in Los Angeles for “a month or more” at the outset of his rehabilitation process, which is expected to carry into the early portion of next year. There’s optimism that the 26-year-old fantasy superstar will be ready for the start of next season, barring any setbacks.

The procedure will be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed Acuña’s other ACL surgery on his right knee back in 2021. There won’t be an official timetable for his return until he undergoes surgery next week as ElAttrache will determine at that time whether he suffered any additional structural damage to his knee, which would keep him sidelined much longer. If it winds up being a straightforward ACL surgery, there’s enough reason for fantasy managers to optimistically project Acuña to be ready for the outset of the 2025 campaign.

Acuña Jr. was diagnosed with a torn ACL last night and will be out for the season. It’s a brutal blow for the Braves and Acuña Jr., who has now torn the ACL in both of his knees. The Braves called up J.P. Martinez to take Acuña Jr.'s spot in on the active roster, but Adam Duvall will likely see an uptick in playing time until the Braves maybe make a move for an outfielder.

Just an absolutely brutal blow for the Braves and for fantasy managers. The 26-year-old outfielder had been hopeful that he would only need to miss a month’s worth of action, but his MRI exam on Sunday revealed the extensive damage. Expect Braves’ general manager Alex Anthopoulos to hit the trade market to bring in another option to bolster the Braves’ outfield in the wake of this miserable news.

The 26-year-old superstar elaborated, saying that the injury feels like the same injury that he dealt with in 2018 on his left knee, and that he expects to miss around a month as he did at that time. Presumably, he’ll head for an MRI to determine the full extent of the injury, but either way it sounds like the Braves — and fantasy managers — are going to be without the top overall pick in fantasy leagues for a while.

Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that this is just the initial diagnosis for Acuña Jr., and that he’ll need to undergo further testing. The results of imaging will determine the severity, but it seems very likely that a trip to the injured list is coming for the 26-year-old. Fantasy managers should be be prepared to get him out of their lineup for the week.