NORTH PORT, FL - The Atlanta Braves don't need to worry.
If they needed him to be, Ronald Acuña Jr. could be in the lineup today. He was adamant about that.
"I can play today," he told us shortly after taking batting practice in the indoor cages. But he understands that the team is being cautious with his "irritated meniscus", initially diagnosed on Friday and confirmed on Sunday by Dr. Neil ElAttrache in Los Angeles.
And being cautious is fine with Ronald.
"I feel like I can play today. I can play every day. But I've got bosses. When they tell me 'You can play", I'll play."
That message - it's okay only when the medical staff says it's okay - was echoed by manager Brian Snitker. "Whenever George (Poulis, head athletic trainer) comes and tells me he can play, I'll put him in there."
And that's fine with Ronald, he explained, pointing out that his health entering the regular season was more important.
"That’s important because I want to play every day, I want to play on Opening Day (at) 100 percent (strength),” Acuña said.
Acuña is hoping to repeat as National League Most Valuable Player after a season in which he led the league in several categories, batting .337/.416/.596 and logging only the 5th 40/40 season in MLB history.
He initially tweaked the knee on Thursday, caught in an extended rundown between second and third against the Minnesota Twins. Ronald admitted, through interpreter Franco García, that he shouldn't have been in that position.
“I just think it was more like a mental error on my part because I didn’t need to get myself in that situation. Really, I was just sort of testing out the legs and seeing how they felt more than anything."
But the belief is that Acuña shouldn't have to actively manage this during the season - it's isolated to a Spring Training issue and rest and rehab should get him back to 100% in time for Opening Day.
"No, I don't think it's going to be a (season-long) thing," he told us.
And so, everyone can finally exhale. Snitker admitted he was a little unsettled about the concept of further testing for Acuña. "I think you're always worried - you never know what might happen when they do their further evaluations."
But despite the scare, Snitker doesn't plan to put any sort of restrictions on what Acuña is allowed to do, letting him decide how best to moderate himself on a baseball field:
"No, he's still young. He's at the age where he can continue to do that," Snit told us, explaining that Ronald would make the decision himself at some point in the future. "He’s gonna reach a point sometime where he’s gonna slow down on his own. [...] I think you gotta turn a kid like that loose and let him play his game.”
So, Acuña avoided more serious injury, but for now, it's work and wait for the all-clear.
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