Braves receive big Ronald Acuna Jr. injury update

The Atlanta Braves need their MVP, Ronald Acuna Jr., to be healthy this season, and they received good news on that front after the right fielder had to leave spring training on Monday night to have his sore right knee examined by a doctor.

The whole organization was undoubtedly holding its breath, but less than 24 hours later, ESPN is reporting that Acuna underwent a "thorough examination" and that there's no reason for concern. He should be good to go by Opening Day — March 28 on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies.

As far as the rest of the spring training, expect him to take it easy. Only minor irritation was found in Acuna's right knee. Even so, the plan will be to gradually bring him back to playing strength before the season begins.

"I don't know when I'll play again, but I feel like I can play today — I can play every day," Acuna said. "But I've got [a] boss. When they tell me, 'You can play,' I'll play."

This is huge news for Atlanta, because the expectations are sky high for the Braves in 2024.

Acuña, the 2023 NL MVP, is expected to be a huge part of the Braves' potential success. Last season, he hit 41 homers with 106 RBI and 73 stolen bases with a batting average of .337 (second-best in MLB) and an OPS of 1.012 (third-best in MLB).