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Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. has been wearing a gold medallion inspired by the MVP trophy this season. (Brandon Sloter\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
(Brandon Sloter via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The chain, a gift from Acu\u00f1a\u2019s wife, is a subtle, shimmering reminder of what this spectacular talent can do. He is one of the few players in baseball capable of bending a game to his will. His electrifying solo homer Monday provided the difference in the Braves\u2019 3-2 win over the Mets. And even though he went 0-for-3 with two walks Tuesday, Acu\u00f1a’s presence in the leadoff spot changes the entire complexion of Atlanta\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cHim in the lineup, it helps everybody,\u201d Braves manager Brian Snitker said. \u201cWhat he’s doing, how he’s doing it, taking his walks \u2014 that’s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Since missing the past four months of 2024 and the first two months of this season while recovering from his second career ACL surgery, Acu\u00f1a has reemerged like a bat out of hell. He went deep on the very first pitch he saw in May. He is slashing .385\/.496\/.692 with nine homers in just 29 games. He has swiped four bags on his surgically repaired legs. His arm, which has always been strong, now grades out as the single strongest outfield arm in MLB. But most importantly, he looks explosive, dangerous, formidable \u2014 everything his stuck-in-neutral ballclub desperately needs him to be.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because these Atlanta Braves and their seven consecutive playoff appearances are facing quite the climb. After their 7-4 victory Tuesday, the Braves are 37-41, 9.5 games back in the division and six games out of the last NL wild card. Their postseason odds have plummeted from 92.5% on Opening Day to 33.3% as of Wednesday. That is by far the largest drop in MLB. Atlanta\u2019s offense, which underwhelmed before Acu\u00f1a\u2019s return, has been just as statistically drab since the outfielder reappeared. In other words: the Braves cannot simply rely on their supernova to save them.<\/p>\n
To be fair, some of the underperformance to this point can be pinned on poor luck and batted-ball sequencing. The Braves\u2019 run differential (+29) is that of a team five games over .500, not four games under. Monday\u2019s win over New York moved Atlanta to a still substandard 11-19 in one-run games, largely a byproduct of closer Raisel Iglesias\u2019 shaky performance thus far in 2025.<\/p>\n
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[<\/strong>Get more Braves news: Braves team feed]<\/strong><\/p>\nInjuries have played a part as well. Being without Acu\u00f1a for eight weeks was a significant impediment. All-Star hurler Reynaldo L\u00f3pez has been on the shelf all season. Flame-throwing ace Spencer Strider has taken some time, in his return from Tommy John surgery, to round into form. Not to be forgotten, the team\u2019s biggest free-agent addition, Jurickson Profar, has been serving a PED suspension since spring training. He\u2019s expected to join the Braves when his suspension expires July 2.<\/p>\n
This past weekend brought even more bad news: Reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale will be out for an undetermined amount of time after suffering a fractured rib cage while making a diving catch during his most recent outing.<\/p>\n
Still, Atlanta\u2019s humbling first half has been about more than bad bounces and boo-boos.<\/p>\n
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This offense, which set multiple MLB records just two years ago with many of the same characters, has been an utter disappointment. Atlanta ranks 22nd in runs scored, 18th in homers and 19th in wRC+.<\/p>\n
There are many culprits. Spectacular as his center-field glove might be, Michael Harris II\u2019s OPS starts with a 5. Meanwhile, the Profar fill-ins in left field have combined for a .540 OPS, the second-lowest mark of any team in baseball. New shortstop Nick Allen is a defensive magician, but he\u2019s also homerless with a .574 OPS in 229 plate appearances. Marcell Ozuna, who finished fourth in MVP voting a year ago, is playing through a hip issue that has sapped his power and limited his output. Austin Riley has been solid but far below his All-Star standards.<\/p>\n
Yet no performance has been more concerning than that of three-time All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies, who has the ninth-lowest OPS this year among qualified hitters. All the batted ball data further confirms the Cura\u00e7aoan\u2019s sharp decline. Albies has always been a free swinger, even at his best, but in the past, he overcame that aggression by impacting the baseball with authority in the air and to the pull side. So far in 2025, those traits are nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n
A startling lack of organizational depth has only amplified the big-league struggles. When Profar got popped for juicing, the Braves were forced to turn to free-agent Band-Aid Alex Verdugo, who has struggled mightily. The upper minors are barren of helpful pieces, on both sides of the ball. Even worse, Atlanta\u2019s farm system is light on impact prospects who could be flipped for reinforcements at the deadline.<\/p>\n
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To be fair, this organization \u2014 as president of baseball operations Alex Anthopolous is wont to remind you \u2014 has been down and out before. The Braves battled back to clinch a spot in the postseason in the final game a year ago. And most famously, the 2021 Braves had 7.7% playoff odds on July 28. Then Anthopolous made lemonade out of nothing at the deadline, and the club rallied to sneak into a wild-card spot. That season ended under a downpour of confetti and a parade through the streets of Atlanta.<\/p>\n
But the shining glory of 2021 has little impact on the stark realities of 2025, something Snitker seems to understand.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery one of these seasons has its own identity,\u201d he told reporters before Tuesday\u2019s game. \u201cYou can’t just sit back and think it’s going to happen, because it doesn’t work that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
As unique as each season might appear \u2014 Snitker, for instance, has a frosty, white goatee now \u2014 the Braves have a striking amount of continuity on offense. Albies, Acu\u00f1a, Ozuna, Riley, Harris, Matt Olson and Sean Murphy have all been around for multiple playoff runs. Anthopolous has received much praise for his willingness and ability to secure many of those players on team-friendly, long-term deals. But that strategy works only as well as the players perform.<\/p>\n
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Still, this season, nearly half-gone, is also very much alive. There is ample time for the Braves to find their way back to October. Dodging any additional big injuries will be vital; surviving Sale\u2019s absence will be tough as is. Getting more production from the bottom of the order is another must. It\u2019s still too early to say whether this club \u2014 winners of five straight against the Mets over the past two weeks \u2014 has actually turned a corner, but there\u2019s more than enough runway for optimism.<\/p>\n
Having a superstar such as Acu\u00f1a back in the fold certainly helps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Injuries and underperformance have been the story of the season so far, but the Braves might be turning a corner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":64087,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[744,1491,1231,2321,239,1014,412,868,1116,1069,313,393,1632,181,740,61,741,1362],"class_list":["post-64086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-alex-verdugo","tag-atlanta","tag-austin-riley","tag-brandon-sloter","tag-braves","tag-brian-snitker","tag-chris-sale","tag-jurickson-profar","tag-marcell-ozuna","tag-matt-olson","tag-nick-allen","tag-ozzie-albies","tag-raisel-iglesias","tag-reynaldo-lopez","tag-ronald-acuna-jr","tag-sean-murphy","tag-spencer-strider","tag-the-mets"],"yoast_head":"\n
Atlanta Braves still face an uphill battle, but with Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr., anything seems possible - 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=64086\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Atlanta Braves still face an uphill battle, but with Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr., anything seems possible - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Injuries and underperformance have been the story of the season so far, but the Braves might be turning a corner.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=64086\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-25T21:36:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/avtvip-2025-06-26T043632.982.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=64086\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=64086\",\"name\":\"Atlanta Braves still face an uphill battle, but with Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr., anything seems possible - 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