Braves Call Up OF, Potential Timetable for Acuña

The Atlanta Braves dipped into the Triple-A pool again and brought up an early-season outfielder option. With Ronald Acuña Jr. heading to the 10-day injured list with right Achilles tendon inflammation, they have called back up Jarred Kelenic.

Kelenic initially broke camp with the Braves along with Bryan De La Cruz, who is now with the New York Yankees. He looked like he was a potential breakout candidate despite the roller coaster 2024 he experienced at the plate.

He failed to match even that. In 23 Major League games this season, he has batted .167 with a .531 OPS, two home runs and two RBIs. His time with Triple-A Gwinnett hasn’t been much better. He’s batting .217 with a .612 OPS, four home runs and 23 RBIs.

Be last played for the Braves on April 23 before getting optioned. 

At this point, he’s going to have to do, for now. They need the extra outfield depth. Eli White is likely going to platoon with him in right field while Michael Harris II and Jurickson Profar control to patrol center and left field. 

Acuña got injured in Tuesday night’s 9-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals. The injury was already an issue ahead of the game, and he chose to play because he already had missed so much time. 

Reports said he was in tears following the game. It’s tough to see him go through another injury so soon after missing a year of his career. You feel for him because you know he wants to keep playing and go all out for his team. 

It’s a situation where he thrives, it’s visible in real time. 

Since he’s already missed as much time as he has and the season continues to sink further into the abyss, the Braves will likely take their time with the star player in his recovery.

There is some promising word on when he could be back, though further testing needs to confirm it. According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Acuña’s injury is in the upper Achilles/lower right calf region. Preliminary tests provided no reason to believe he has a significant injury. Bowman added that the verification will come after an MRI on Wednesday. If results match current expectations, there’s a chance Acuña could play again in two to three weeks. There was no mentioning of a rehab assignment, but that’s likely something that will be discussed later.

The Braves star outfielder has been electric in his return this season. He’s batting .309 with 14 home runs, 26 RBIs and a 1.012 OPS in 54 games this season. His efforts earned him a spot in the starting lineup of the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. He was originally scheduled to participate in the Home Run Derby, but Matt Olson filled in out of precaution. 

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