Friday afternoon, we got further clarification on the injury status of two of the biggest stars for the Atlanta Braves. While a lot of this news may not be particularly surprising, it\u2019s still encouraging to get a better idea of where both Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. and Spencer Strider are at when it comes to their respective roads to recovery.<\/p>\n
When it comes to Strider, Alex Anthopoulos informed the media that Strider is currently scheduled to pitch in games during spring training. Strider threw a bullpen today and this was after he pitched a session earlier this week on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Even though Alex Anthopoulos did state that Strider is still expected to start the season on the IL, AA did mention that they would like to see Strider pitch in a spring training game before Opening Day rolls around. Depending on how early Strider can get into spring action, that\u2019ll probably determine how much of the season that he\u2019ll spend on the IL before returning.<\/p>\n
Obviously I think everybody would like Strider to come back as soon as possible but I think everybody involved knows that this is a very delicate situation when it comes to managing his return. Either way, I\u2019d say that it seems like Strider\u2019s definitely continuing to move in the right direction as far as his eventual return is concerned.<\/p>\n
When it comes to Acu\u00f1a, Anthopoulos continued to re-iterate that Acu\u00f1a will also start the season on the IL and on top of that, he won\u2019t be playing in any spring games. In lieu of spring game action, Acu\u00f1a\u2019s going to get his work done on the back fields.<\/p>\n
\n#Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos confirmed Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. & Spencer Strider won’t be on the Opening Day Roster. Acu\u00f1a will not play in Grapefruit League games and instead get AB’s and work on the back fields. AA said they hope to have Strider pitch in a game before the end of ST.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) February 14, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
Eventually Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. spoke to the media and he made it pretty clear that he\u2019s feeling bullish about his current level of progress. He figures that he\u2019s around \u201c90-95%,\u201d which is pretty exciting to hear when you consider that this isn\u2019t his first go-around with a torn ACL \u2014 in a different knee, mind you, but still. Here\u2019s what he (himself) had to say to the media, with this report in particular coming from Courtney Martinez of WSB-TV:<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe priority is I\u2019m feeling great. That\u2019s the most important thing. One day when they tell me, you need to play that day, I\u2019ll be there,\u201d Acu\u00f1a said.<\/p>\n
Acu\u00f1a knows what it\u2019s like to recovery from ACL surgery. He tore his right ACL in 2021 and missed the Braves World Series championship run. But he came back in 2022 and produced a National League MVP-winning season in 2023.<\/p>\n
The outfielder said his left knee feels more stable compared to the last surgery. Channel 2\u2032s Alison Mastrangelo asked Acu\u00f1a if his approach to base running would be different this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I need to take it easy a little bit when I get on base,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
However, the outfielder admitted it will be hard to go against his base-running instincts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard when I get on base because, for my mind, I just want to go. I want to go to second. I want to go to third. That\u2019s what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
All-in-all, I\u2019d imagine that the Braves may not be waiting super long for either Acu\u00f1a or Strider to return from their injury. How they\u2019re handled once they do make their eventual returns is a different story and I\u2019d imagine that the Braves are going to be very conservative when it comes to managing their respective playing time. We\u2019ll see what happens going forward but it\u2019s still encouraging to know that both stars are continuing to make tangible progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Neither one of them will be on the Opening Day roster but they\u2019re both getting closer and closer to returning to action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":34303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n
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