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Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup against the Philadelphia Phillies because of right quad tightness, the team announced.
Acuna tore his ACL in July of the 2021 season, and the Braves revealed in April that he would begin the 2022 season on the injured list as he continued to recover from the ailment. Before the injury, the 24-year-old was in the midst of another impressive campaign for the Braves, hitting .283/.394/.596 with 24 home runs and 52 RBI in 82 games.
Acuna is one of the best young players in baseball, winning Rookie of the Year in 2018 and Silver Slugger awards in 2019 and 2020. He also finished fifth in National League MVP voting in 2019.
When Acuna was sidelined this season, Atlanta relied on Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna at the plate. Their performances have become significantly more important this year following the departure of Freddie Freeman in free agency.
That said, Acuna has looked good early this season, hitting .292/.400/.446 with two home runs and eight RBI in 17 games. That said, the Braves will need Acuna to remain healthy if they want to contend for another title this year.
Atlanta is currently 20-23, second place in the NL East.
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