Braves activate All-Star OF Ronald Acuna Jr. from IL

It was reported last week that Acuña Jr. was targeting May 6 as his return to Atlanta, which puts him just over one week ahead of schedule. The Braves finish up a six-game homestand at 7:20 p.m. ET on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs, before kicking off a seven-game road trip at 8:05 p.m. ET on Friday against the Texas Rangers.

Acuña Jr. was limited to 82 games in 2021 after suffering a torn right ACL in July, ending the year with 24 home runs, 52 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and a .283/.394/.596 slash line across 297 at-bats. In 2019, the 24-year-old led the National League in plate appearances (715), runs scored (127) and stolen bases (37), while collecting 41 home runs, 101 RBIs and 175 hits and posting a .280/.365/.518 slash line.

A native of Venezuela, Acuña Jr. finished fifth in the NL MVP voting in 2019, earned his first of two All-Star nods and grabbed his first of two Silver Slugger awards.