One of the biggest stories regarding the Atlanta Braves in 2025 is the health of two of their superstars, Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. A bit of an unfortunate update on Acuña – but not entirely unexpected – as the team has announced that he will not partake in MLB spring training games this spring, as he’s still recovering from his second ACL tear.

The Braves project him to be ready at some point early in the season, but it will almost certainly take as much time as possible until they are confident he is 100 percent before being fully unleashed. Of course, optimism will tell you the last time Acuña Jr. returned from an ACL tear, he put up a historic season, becoming the first member of the 40/70 club.

You can’t assume the same success because he did it before. Acuña is one of the most dynamic players in the game when healthy, but he has no reason to rush back to action. When he returns, it will be interesting to see how often the green light to steal bases is given since nobody knows his body better than him, given what he did last time he returned from the same injury.

Acuña Jr. recently mentioned that he is around 90-95 percent, which is encouraging, but it won’t force the Braves’ front office hand. After a lackluster offseason for the Braves, Acuña Jr. being 100 percent down the stretch is vital to the team’s success in 2025.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB offseason.

Turning the clock back to 2021, Acuña Jr.’s first ACL tear saw him miss the remainder of the season in which Atlanta won the World Series. The Braves have remained competitive, but seeing what the team did in 2023 once Acuña Jr. was fully healthy turned Atlanta into a juggernaut offensively.

Although the Braves did win it all in 2021, Acuña Jr. is the spark plug that can take this team from Wild Card contender to legit pennant contender all by himself. After busting out in 2023 with a 9.1, according to Fangraphs, getting his follow-up season cut short was the last thing Atlanta wanted. Patience will be key for Acuña Jr. and the Braves in 2025.

The more time he has to heal fully, the stronger this Braves team will be down the stretch. Although the team didn’t do much to add to the major league roster, Acuña Jr.’s return acts as a massive addition in itself. If he returns to his usual ways, the Braves are a team nobody should sleep on this year.