Braves Announce Decision After Ronald Acuña Jr. News

When he is on the field, Acuña has been solid but not quite as good as the fans know he can be. He is slashing .251/.373/.421 (.794 OPS) with seven home runs, 22 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 22 attempts.

This recent stay on the injured list has been going since June 9. In that time, Atlanta has gone 17-22. However, since the All-Star break, they have been playing well. The club has not lost a series, going 7-3 overall versus decent competition.

On Monday, it was announced that Acuña will be activated from the injured list. The official Braves account on X said that it will be journeyman outfielder Brewer Hicklen being sent back down to Triple-A Gwinnett.

The move makes perfect sense from a roster choice perspective, but Hicklen’s hot streak during his time in the majors this year was something to watch. Across 23 plate appearances, he batted .368 with a 1.057 OPS.

The 30-year-old had been playing exclusively in right field. With Acuña taking his spot in right, it will be outfielder Mauricio Dúbon continuing to get most of the reps in left. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski will be the one sliding to the bench.

Upon Acuña’s return, the Braves are hoping he can find more of that power swing this time around. His .421 slugging percentage this season is quite low for his career average. He will be in the lineup Monday at the New York Mets, 7:10 p.m. ET.