Ronald

Acuna Jr.

Acuña went 0-for-3 with a walk on Friday in his return from the injured list following a two-week absence due to a right calf strain. Fantasy managers should brace for the possibility that Atlanta exercises extreme caution with their franchise cornerstone’s workload over the final six weeks, especially since they’re out of postseason contention. He’s a field-tilting talent when he’s 100 percent healthy.

Acuña missed almost exactly two weeks with his right calf strain, which was initially diagnosed as an Achilles injury. The 27-year-old offers enormous fantasy upside, but it’s fair to wonder if Atlanta will take more precautions with the outfielder with the team not in playoff contention. Still, fantasy managers should be thrilled to see him back.

Friday’s series opener in Cleveland might be the plan here. Eli White should head back to the bench when Acuña is activated.

Specifically, Snitker noted that Acuña won’t be activated on Wednesday, though Thursday’s series finale against the Mets seems like a realistic possibility. Either way, it sounds like the 27-year-old superstar should be back for Friday’s series against the Guardians in Cleveland. He has been shelved since late July due to a low-grade right calf strain.

Acuña, who took on-field batting practice on Thursday without any issues, is eligible to be activated from the injured list at any point and the fact that he’s back running the bases and participating in defensive drills seems to suggest that a return isn’t too far away.

The 27-year-old superstar looked as spry as ever and was hitting bombs to all files during the impressive session. The Braves plan to wait until he’s completely pain-free before bringing him back from the injured list, but it doesn’t sound like he’s going to require a rehab stint before jumping right back into the fold.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker told reporters Acuña remains without a definitive return timetable after hitting the injured list last week with a Grade 1 calf strain. He added that they’re going to wait until he’s completely pain-free before activating him. It’s typically a two or three-week absence for a low-grade calf strain, so fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back until at least mid-August.

The positive news for fantasy managers is that Acuña avoided a serious Achilles injury after an MRI revealed a low-grade calf strain, which should only cost him a couple weeks. The 27-year-old superstar should make it back to Atlanta by late August, which is a massive relief for fantasy managers heading towards the home stretch. Given the circumstances, this latest development is about as favorable as anyone could’ve hoped for.

This move was reported on Tuesday night and is now official. The 27-year-old will have an MRI on Wednesday that will determine how long he will be sidelined. If he’s out for an extended period of time, it would be a major indictment of Atlanta’s coaching staff since Acuña mentioned after the game that he first felt the soreness on Monday after the game and convinced the coaching staff to let talk his way into the lineup on Tuesday in Kansas City.

It’s a brutal development for both Atlanta and fantasy managers, as Acuña was spotted in a walking boot after exiting Tuesday’s game against the Royals. A definitive update on the 27-year-old superstar’s outlook should come at some point ahead of Wednesday’s series finale in Kansas City, but fantasy managers should brace for a potential extended absence.