BREAKING: Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. gets bold prediction ahead of big return

The Atlanta Braves’ offense needs a boost right now.One guy who certainly will help is superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. It’s unclear when he will be back, but he recently shared that he’s “almost there.”

He can’t get back soon enough after only appearing in 49 games last year. Acuña was the National League Most Valuable Player in 2023 and had one of the best offensive seasons in recent memory. He finished the year with 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, stealing 73 bases, and slashing .337/.416/.596 in 159 games played.

You can’t ask for much more out of a player. Whenever he gets back, he will help.

Even after missing so much time, ESPN still ranked him as the No. 20 player in baseball for the 2025 season and David Schoenfield shared a bold prediction for him.

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

“No. 20. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Atlanta Braves,” Schoenfield said. “Acuña was one of the more difficult players to rate on this list. He probably won’t return until May as he recovers from his second torn ACL, which ended his 2024 season after 49 games — a season in which he was hitting nowhere near his unanimous MVP level of 2023, when he hit .337 with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases. The issue before the injury: After lowering his strikeout rate in 2023 to just 11.4 percent, it was back up to his career norm of 23.9 percent.

“Acuna has a lot to prove, not just that he’ll be healthy but that 2023 wasn’t his career year. Season prediction: Acuña slugged just .413 in 2022 (after returning from his first torn ACL) and just .365 last season, but he finds his power stroke and slugs over .500 — and steals 25 bases.”

The Braves need him and if he can live up to this prediction they will eventually be just fine.

Patrick McAvoy’s experiences include local and national sportswriting across baseball, football and basketball. He has provided coverage for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Philadelphia Eagles and Boston Celtics throughout his career. Outside of journalism, Patrick also has received a Masters of Business Administration Degree from Brandeis University and studied communication and business at Merrimack College where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree.