Ronald Acuña Jr.’s big return marks a major bright spot in the Atlanta Braves’ 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres Friday. He didn’t take long to make noise, homering on the first pitch he saw on the night.
This mammoth shot went off the bat at 115.5 mph and went 467 feet. Nick Pivetta threw a 93 mph pitch down the heart of the plate and Acuña gladly obliged.
At the plate, Acuña finished 2-for-4 on the night, including the electric solo shot. However, this would be the entire offense on the night. The Braves took a 1-0 lead on the first pitch and that would be it. The 2023 National League MVP helped keep the Braves in the game defensively.
In the top of the eighth inning, Elias Díaz hit a ball of the wall and pushed for a double. Acuña reminded everyone of the cannon he has and nailed Díaz at second base.
Acuña returned with a bang both with his bat and with his arm. There was hope that he would provide a spark to the offense. He succeeded in doing his part. The rest of the lineup was unable to follow suit.
The Braves star right fielder returned from his near-year-long recovery from a torn ACL in his left knee. He took longer than his previous recovery – which was in his right knee – because the Braves wanted him to be at full health.
FanGraphs projects that Acuña will play in 100 games for the Braves this season and have a slash line of .302/.394/.532. During that time, they also project he’ll hit 22 home runs, drive in 60 runs, steal 34 bases and finish with a 4.4 fWAR.
