{"id":57472,"date":"2025-05-25T15:47:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T15:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=57472"},"modified":"2025-05-25T15:47:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T15:47:24","slug":"braves-pressured-to-dump-ex-yankee-after-ronald-acuna-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=57472","title":{"rendered":"Braves Pressured to Dump Ex-Yankee After Ronald Acu\u00f1a Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/main>fter missing 162 games, the equivalent of an entire\u00a0MLB\u00a0season, Atlanta Braves four-time All-Star Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr.\u00a0made a dramatic comeback\u00a0this weekend, blasting a home run Friday on the first pitch he saw\u00a0since May 26, 2024.<\/p>\n

Acu\u00f1a Jr., the 2023 National League MVP, followed up with\u00a0a second home run\u00a0in Saturday’s game, also against the San Diego Padres at\u00a0Truist Park in Atlanta. The pair of round-trippers in his first nine at-bats since he tore\u00a0the ACL in his left knee\u00a0almost exactly one year ago obviously gave a jolt of energy to the Braves, who continue to battle back from a\u00a03-10 start to the season.<\/p>\n

But Acu\u00f1a’s fast start could spell bad news for Acu\u00f1a Jr.’s newest teammate, the New York Yankees castoff Alex Verdugo. After receiving no offers in free agency, Verdugo signed\u00a0a one-year, $1.5 million\u00a0contract with Atlanta as spring training entered its final week.<\/p>\n

He got off to a quick start with Atlanta, but in May the 29-year-old outfielder has slowed down badly, potentially making him the odd man out in the Braves outfield with Acu\u00f1a Jr.’s return.<\/p>\n

Now,\u00a0according to the Yankees site\u00a0Pinstripes Nation, the Braves will now face “pressure” to cut ties with Verdugo now that Acu\u00f1a has returned \u2014 with a vengeance.<\/p>\n

“His return immediately strengthens Atlanta’s outfield but creates a crowded roster situation,” write Pinstripes Nation scribe Sara Molnick of Verdugo. “Braves supporters increasingly believe Verdugo should be eliminated from consideration.”<\/p>\n

Molnick added that Verdugo’s relatively minimal contract “reflects his diminished market appeal. Verdugo dropped from a $9.2 million Yankees salary to a $1.5 million prove-it arrangement with Atlanta. While he displayed glimpses of past ability in April, May has revealed the same inconsistencies that haunted his Bronx tenure.”<\/p>\n

Acu\u00f1a Jr.’s two home runs in two games give him two more\u00a0than Verdugo has managed\u00a0in his entire 29-game Braves tenure. In 10 April games, after getting his call-up, Verdugo posted\u00a0a formidable .850 OPS.<\/p>\n

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