Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will begin a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Tuesday, according to Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Acuña will play the outfield, and the Braves will monitor his performance before moving him to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Ronald Acuña will begin a rehab assignment in Florida complex league tomorrow. He’ll be playing outfield, Braves will monitor and see when he’s ready for next steps (which would be rehab in Gwinnett).
— Gabe Burns (@GabeBurnsAJC) May 12, 2025
Report: Ronald Acuña Jr. Beginning Rehab Assignment
When Acuña Jr. is healthy, there are few players in baseball more exciting. He broke onto the scene as a rookie in 2018, winning National League Rookie of the Year after batting .293 with 26 home runs and 64 RBI. In 2023, Acuña Jr. had a record-breaking season, hitting .337 with 41 home runs and 107 RBI. He also stole 73 bases that year, becoming the first person to join the 40-70 club en route to winning the National League MVP award unanimously.
Acuña Jr. tore his ACL in his left knee in late May of last year and has been out since. The injury was the second ACL tear of his young career, after he tore the ligament in his right knee in 2021. During spring training, Acuña Jr. said he was targeting a return on May 2nd against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although there is no timetable for his return, the team hopes he can return sometime in May.
Acuña Jr.’s return is the next step in recovering from a poor start to the 2025 season for the Braves. The club started the season 0-7 after entering as one of the favorites to win their division. As if things couldn’t get worse, Jurickson Profar, who was brought in to play the outfield in Acuña Jr.’s absence, was suspended for 80 games due to PED usage, and they lost starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez to shoulder surgery.
Looking Forward
Along with Acuña Jr. returning, the club announced that starting pitcher Spencer Strider will throw a simulated game this week. There’s a chance the Braves activate him without making a rehab start. Even with all the trouble at the beginning of the season, the Braves have managed to hang around with a 19-21 record, and the return of Acuña Jr. and Strider will help them work back into the race for the NL East.
Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
