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Reigning MVP Suffers Season-Ending Injury

May 27, 2024


Atlanta Braves outfielder and reigning National League Most Valuable Player Ronald Acuña Jr. underwent an MRI following his early exit from Sunday’s game that revealed a complete tear of the ACL in his left knee.

He is set to undergo surgery at a date yet to be determined and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season, the team announced on Sunday night.

Ronald Acuña Out for the Season
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – MAY 26: Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves walks off the field with trainers after an apparent injury in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC…


Justin Berl/Getty Images

Acuña left the Braves’ 8-1 victory at Pittsburgh after injuring his left knee in a non-contact play on the basepaths in the first inning and told reporters in the clubhouse postgame that he would be going on the injured list. He also said the injury did not feel as severe as the torn ACL in his right knee that ended his season in July 2021.

The play itself was innocent. The 26-year-old broke toward third base before changing direction as the ball was tossed back to the Pirates’ starting pitcher Martín Pérez. He twisted awkwardly and immediately crumbled to the ground, clutching his left knee. He remained on the ground for several minutes after Pérez tagged him out.

The 26-year-old is a four-time All-Star. He led the league in runs, hits, stolen bases, and on-base percentage in 2023 while slashing .337/.416/.596 with 41 home runs, 106 RBI, 149 runs scored, and 73 stolen bases. In 48 games this season, he slashed .246/.348/.356 with four home runs, 15 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases.

He took to social media after the news broke, apologizing to fans about the injury.

Acuña is the second season-altering injury the Braves have suffered this season. All-Star starting pitcher Spencer Strider pitched just two games before undergoing season-ending internal brace surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Strider finished fourth in last season’s National League Cy Young voting and was a preseason favorite to win the award this season.

Now, the Braves are left without their top two players and are forced to regroup moving forward. At 30-20, Atlanta is six games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East.

If there’s a silver lining to the injury, it’s that Acuña rebounded so masterfully from his first major knee injury so well. No player had ever stolen 70 bases and hit 40 home runs in a season before Acuña did so last year. If he felt any ill effects in his right knee, they were not reflected in the final totals of a historic season.

Now, Acuña will try to coax the same bounceback from his left knee in 2025.