Braves manager shares worrisome Ronald Acuna Jr. injury update

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Braves manager shares worrisome Ronald Acuna Jr. injury update

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated May 3, 2026 11:45 AM ET

The Atlanta Braves can't seem to catch a break with injuries.

Despite their strong start to the campaign, their 9-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday may have come at a steep price.

Star OF Ronald Acuna Jr. left the game early with a hamstring injury, and given his history of physical ailments, the fans sounded the alarms right away.

Following the game, manager Walt Weiss shared a somewhat cryptic injury update that wasn't particularly encouraging.

Ronald Acuna Jr. might miss time with a hamstring injury

"We'll see the severity of it," Weiss said, per ESPN. "I didn't like the way it looked. Ronnie is starting to swing the bat. We'll see what happens. Hopefully, if he is out, it'll be short term."

Soft-tissue injuries tend to linger, and given Acuna's history, the team will most likely err on the side of caution and keep him on the shelf for as long as needed. For now, they placed him on the 10-day Injured List (IL).

The #Braves today returned RHP Spencer Strider from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list after optioning RHP Hunter Stratton to Triple-A Gwinnett following last night’s game. Additionally, the club selected OF José Azócar to the major league…
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 3, 2026

Acuna has gotten off to a slow start to the campaign, slashing just .252/.362/.378 with nine RBI, two home runs and seven stolen bases, per Baseball Reference.

However, the 28-year-old was finally starting to get his groove back, going 6-for-18 in his past five games.

Eli White replaced him in right field and Weiss believes they have enough resources to get by in his absence.

"We're very versatile, but you never like to be challenged like this, losing, if it happens, one of your best players and most talented players," Weiss said. "We'll be OK. We'll have some moving parts."

Nevertheless, even if he hasn't been as dominant at the plate this season as he usually is, the former NL MVP is still one of the most impactful offensive players in the game, and not having him out there for long could derail the Braves' impressive 24-10 start to the campaign.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

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