That quest didn’t get off to a great start, as star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was a late scratch for the first game of the series on Tuesday night. The Braves called it a lower back injury that kept Acuna out of the game, according to a post from the team on social media.

“OF Ronald Acuña Jr. was scratched from tonight’s lineup due to low back tightness,” the Braves wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

There has been a lot of buzz about what is going to happen at the trade deadline surrounding Acuna and whether the Braves will be sellers in general. It’s only natural that, as Atlanta continues to slip down the standings, other teams would inquire about the availability of the electric superstar.

However, the Braves reportedly are not going to trade Acuna, so fans don’t have to worry about that being the reason for his absence. He is still just a few months into his 2025 season after missing the start of the campaign while recovering from a torn ACL, so any injury will be handled with extreme care by the organization.

Acuna was originally slated to start in right field, but his place was taken by Eli White in the updated lineup.

The former National League MVP has made up for lost time since getting back in the lineup after missing the first 49 games of the year and has still been productive enough to earn one of the three starting spots in the outfield for the NL in the All-Star Game. He will start in the outfield alongside the dynamic Chicago Cubs duo of Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong.

For the season, Acuna is hitting .331 with nine home runs and 18 RBIs in just 40 games, so he has benefited very productive for an Atlanta team that is struggling. The Braves need him at full strength to get back into the playoff picture, so it makes sense that they would play it safe with this injury and give him the night off.