Not many teams can overcome losing their best position player, and best pitcher to injuries.

That’s what the Atlanta Braves endured last season, when All Star outfielder Ronald Acuna, Jr., and All Star starter Spencer Strider missed most of last season with injuries that required surgery.

Status of Ronald Acuna, Jr.:

Acuna Jr. is 6-0, 205 pounds.

Acuna Jr., 27, was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee last May 27.

Acuna Jr. underwent season-ending surgery, and latest reports indicate he may miss the enrire first month of the new season.

Acuna Jr. tore his right ACL on July 20, 2021.

His surgery and recovery were familiar to him.

It remains to be seen how the surgery impacts Acuna’s production.

Acuna Jr. was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2018.

Acuna Jr. was the National League Most Valuable Player in 2023.

Acuna Jr. has won three Silver Slugger Awards.

An All Star in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, Acuna Jr. is an amazing athlete with tremendous ability on both sides of the ball.

It is almost impossible for a baseball team to replace a consequential All World player like Ronald Acuna Jr.

But…the Braves and their fans will have to wait for his full recovery.

rotowire.com reports Atlanta’s President of Baseball Opeerations, Alex Anthopoulos, indicates that Acuna Jr. may not be ready to play until late June.

Acuna Jr. played in only 49 games last season. He got off to a tepid start, and hit .250/.351/.365/.716, with eight doubles, a triple, and four home runs in 222 plate appearances. Acuna Jr. scored 38 runs and had just 15 RBIs in 49 games played.

At the time of his injury, Acuna Jr. had stolen 16 bases in 19 attempts.

It is likely his base stealing mobility will be hampered initially due to the knee surgery. However, stealing bases is a major focal point of his game, and Acuna Jr. may defy all odds in trying to rack up stolen bases.

The right-handed hitting Acuna Jr. has a career batting average of .289, covering 722 major league games, and 3,254 plate appearances. Acuna Jr. has driven in 417 runs, and he has 165 home runs to his credit.

Status of Spencer Strider:

Right hander Spencer Strider, 26, is recovering from April 13 internal brace surgery on his right elbow.

Many fans were under the impression Strider had Tommy John surgery, but as reported by Rotowire.com, an MRI revealed that damage to his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) could be treated with the internal brace surgery, which requires less recovery time than a Tommy John ligament replacement procedure.

In a statement about Strider’s recovery, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Anthopoulos feels it is unlikely Strider will be ready for opening day.

Last season, Strider made just two starts for the Braves. He had no record.

Few pitchers have captivated Major League Baseball as Strider did in his monumental 2023 season.

An All Star in 2023, Strider won 20 games for the Braves, going 20-5, with a 3.86 ERA, and 1.09 WHIP in 186.2 innings pitched.

Strider struck out 13.5 hitters per nine innings, while walking 2.8 hitters per nine.

In that 2023 season, Strider struck out 281 batters.

At 6-0, 195 pounds, Strider isn’t the largest pitcher in the game. Far from it. However, Strider has a wicked four-seam fastball, that brooksbaseball.net indicates he throws at 96 miles per hour. At least that was the case before his surgery.

Velocity and pitch mixes are often impacted by internal brace and/or Tommy John surgery.

Strider also throws a changeup, a slider, and a curveball. Each of those pitches will have to be monitored for the stress they place on Strider’s shoulder, elbow, and forearm.

Losing left-handed starter Max Fried to the New York Yankees in free agency, the Braves are hoping Strider can pick up where he left off before his elbow started to bark.

Without question, Atlanta needs a speedy, and healthy return of both Ronald Acuna Jr., and Spencer Strider to help chase down the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.