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Braves beat reporter on potential plan for Ronald Acuña Jr.

Originally posted on SportsTalkATL | By Chase Irle | Last updated May 22, 2025 5:15 PM ET

Braves Country is on their hands and knees pleading for the blue box that reveals Ronald Acuña Jr. has been activated to the major-league roster.

The 2023 NL MVP is completely overwhelming minor-league pitching. In 15 at-bats, he already has seven hits, including a couple of home runs, and he’s also walked seven times, giving him an on-base percentage of .591 and OPS of 1.524. There’s no question he’s ready to contribute for the Braves offensively, the decision makers just want to see him clear a couple of final hurdles.

One of those happened yesterday afternoon, as Acuña played nine innings in the field for the first time during his rehab assignment. Some thought that might be the last checkbox, but according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Acuña is back in the Gwinnett Stripers lineup tonight. Bowman says that doesn’t totally rule him out for a return tomorrow at Truist Park, but that given the travel, it’s more likely he would be activated during the weekend.

Acuña is in Gwinnett’s lineup in Louisville tonight. This doesn’t erase the possibility he could be activated tomorrow. But given the travel, a Saturday or Sunday return seems more likely. It all depends on how he feels when he awakes and talks to the Braves staff tomorrow

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 22, 2025

Of course, all of this is dependent on Ronald Acuña Jr. waking up tomorrow and feeling like he’s ready to play baseball. However, I do have a hunch about how that conversation might go.

A Friday season debut for Acuña might be wishful thinking, but sometime during the Braves weekend series against the Padres does feel possible.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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