{"id":144135,"date":"2026-01-23T08:33:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T08:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=144135"},"modified":"2026-01-23T08:33:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T08:33:45","slug":"report-as-ronald-acuna-jr-ramps-up-preparations-for-his-return-following-a-2025-nl-comeback-player-of-the-year-season-hes-reportedly-cherishing-time-with-his-wife-maria-laborde-and-their-t","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=144135","title":{"rendered":"REPORT: As Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. ramps up preparations for his return following a 2025 NL Comeback Player of the Year season, he\u2019s reportedly cherishing time with his wife Maria Laborde and their two sons. After silencing doubts about his speed last year, Acu\u00f1a enters 2026 with a renewed sense of balance, crediting his family as the driving force behind his pursuit of a second World Series title."},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"auto\">Atlanta, January 22, 2026 \u2013 Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr., the dynamic outfielder renowned for his explosive power-speed combination and 2023 NL MVP season, keeps his personal world close to the heart, centering it on his wife Maria Laborde and their two young sons while maintaining strong ties to his baseball-rooted Venezuelan family.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy-img\" src=\"https:\/\/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com\/reuters\/CT44SUKTNRNPHIQZHFYXMFN4PY.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">The 28-year-old Acu\u00f1a (born December 18, 1997, in La Guaira, Venezuela) married Maria Laborde on August 31, 2023, in a memorable ceremony that coincided with his historic 40-70 season milestone (becoming MLB&#8217;s first 40-home run, 70-stolen base player).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">The couple, who met around 2019 and got engaged in January 2023, share two sons: Ronald Daniel Acu\u00f1a (born around 2021, often called Ronald Jr. or Ronald III in family contexts) and Jamall Acu\u00f1a (born around late 2022, named after former NBA star Jamal Crawford).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Maria, a supportive partner and former beauty pageant participant from Venezuela, frequently shares wholesome family moments on her Instagram (@marialaborde), including beach outings, backyard baseball sessions where the boys mimic their dad&#8217;s signature swing, park days, and cozy holiday gatherings.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Recent posts have featured tropical offseason vacations in places like Saman\u00e1, Dominican Republic, with the family enjoying quality time together, festive Christmas Eve snaps, and tender clips of the kids cheering at Truist Park or practicing swings at home.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Acu\u00f1a&#8217;s own account (@ronaldacunajr13) occasionally includes family glimpses amid baseball highlights, emphasizing his pride in fatherhood.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/.image\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/MTk5MTE0NzY5NDczNDgwNjYw\/ronald-acuna-jr.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">The family resides primarily in the Atlanta area during the season, with strong connections to Venezuela\u2014where Acu\u00f1a often returns in the offseason to spend time with extended relatives.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">His baseball lineage runs deep: son of former minor leaguer Ronald Acu\u00f1a Sr. (who represented Venezuela internationally), grandson of Romualdo Blanco (also a pro player), eldest of four brothers (including Mets prospect Luisangel Acu\u00f1a), and part of a sprawling network of cousins and uncles who have played professionally, including MLB veterans like Alcides Escobar and Kelvim Escobar.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Despite the demands of recovery from his 2024 ACL tear and a strong 2025 return that saw him regain All-Star form, Acu\u00f1a has consistently prioritized family, often crediting Maria and the boys as his biggest motivation.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Maria has been a constant presence at games and events, capturing priceless moments like their eldest son&#8217;s wide-eyed fascination during games or playful home run celebrations in the backyard.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy-img\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.fangraphs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/USATSI_20334965.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"240\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">As Acu\u00f1a gears up for the 2026 campaign\u2014aiming to build on his resurgence and chase another title with the Braves\u2014he and Maria continue to nurture a grounded, joyful home life filled with faith, fun, and the next generation of potential ballplayers.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Fans admire not just the five-tool phenom on the field but the devoted family man who keeps his most precious moments private yet heartwarmingly shared in measured doses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Atlanta, January 22, 2026 \u2013 Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr., the dynamic outfielder renowned for his explosive power-speed combination and 2023 NL MVP season, keeps his&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":144141,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>REPORT: As Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. ramps up preparations for his return following a 2025 NL Comeback Player of the Year season, he\u2019s reportedly cherishing time with his wife Maria Laborde and their two sons. After silencing doubts about his speed last year, Acu\u00f1a enters 2026 with a renewed sense of balance, crediting his family as the driving force behind his pursuit of a second World Series title. - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=144135\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"REPORT: As Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. ramps up preparations for his return following a 2025 NL Comeback Player of the Year season, he\u2019s reportedly cherishing time with his wife Maria Laborde and their two sons. After silencing doubts about his speed last year, Acu\u00f1a enters 2026 with a renewed sense of balance, crediting his family as the driving force behind his pursuit of a second World Series title. - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Atlanta, January 22, 2026 \u2013 Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr., the dynamic outfielder renowned for his explosive power-speed combination and 2023 NL MVP season, keeps his...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=144135\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T08:33:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-89.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsThao\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsThao\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=144135\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=144135\",\"name\":\"REPORT: As Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. ramps up preparations for his return following a 2025 NL Comeback Player of the Year season, he\u2019s reportedly cherishing time with his wife Maria Laborde and their two sons. 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