MLB Facing Backlash for Ronald Acuna Jr. Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 5:24 PM ET

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. recently made his highly-anticipated return from injury. Suffering a torn ACL in his left knee on May 26, 2024, Acuna missed nearly an entire year of action. Returning on May 23 of this year, Acuna homered in his first at-bat, and has since been one of MLB's most productive hitters.

In 10 games since his return, Acuna is hitting .342 with three home runs and a 1.036 OPS. Atlanta still sits 5.5 games out of the final National League Wild Card spot, but Acuna's return has injected some increased belief that a postseason spot is not too far out of reach.

At just 27 years old, Acuna is already a four-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and one-time NL MVP. While his late start to the 2025 season will make it challenging to add more accolades, Acuna was featured in the middle of MLB's All-Star voting graphic that was posted on Wednesday.

"All-Star Game voting is LIVE!" the league announced. "Vote 5x daily at MLB.com/Vote to send your favorite players to Atlanta this July."

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The decision to feature Acuna in this graphic, despite him playing just 10 games this season, did not sit well with many fans in the comments.

"Acuna?? He’s played like 10 games," one said.

"it matters he'll get a spot instead of someone who actually deserves it," a fan claimed in response to another who downplayed MLB's use of Acuna in the graphic.

"Is Acuna even eligible?" one asked. "Has he played enough?"

"If acuna becomes all star after missing like the whole season. Ima crash," said another.

"Why is Acuna on here ?" another asked.

All-Star Game voting is LIVE!

Vote 5x daily at https://t.co/qZ7xq4aEem to send your favorite players to Atlanta this July. pic.twitter.com/NeFhDGRGVC
— MLB (@MLB) June 4, 2025