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Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. has worked hard to reach the stratosphere of Major League Baseball. A day after suffering an ACL tear in his right knee, Acuna vowed to work harder than ever to stay there.
“The only thing I can say is that I will obviously do my utmost to come back stronger than ever,” Acuna said via Braves interpreter Franco Garcia on a Zoom call on Sunday. “If I gave 500 percent before, I’m about to start giving 1000 percent.”
Acuna was injured in Atlanta’s 5-4 win over the Marlins on Saturday when he landed awkwardly on the warning track as he chased a ball hit by Jazz Chisholm Jr. of Miami. -the home run of the park.
The game was delayed by more than 10 minutes after Acuna initially attempted to leave the pitch but was unable to do so on his own. As he was whisked away on a cart, cameras caught an emotional Acuna tearing apart after what turned out to be a season-ending injury, though he says he initially didn’t know that it was.
“I knew something was wrong,” Acuna said. “I guess I didn’t understand the seriousness of it, until the doctor told me about it later. There’s nothing I can do about it now. I can’t control things that I can’t control.”
Late on Saturday, the Braves announced via social media that Acuna had indeed suffered a complete tear in his ACL and was going to undergo surgery. ESPN’s Jeff Passan has reported that Acuna is set to miss nine to 10 months, putting him in danger of missing the start of the 2022 season.
However long it takes, Acuna vows to come back as good as he was when he fell.
“I think I’m a patient person and I think it’s going to work in my favor,” Acuna said. “Keep working hard, trust the rehabilitation process. Just keep working hard. You get what you put in.”
Acuna has not discussed a timeline for his possible return, saying his surgery has not yet been scheduled. For now, he is set to travel, as planned, to Colorado for the All-Star Game, where he would have started in the outfield for the National League.
“(Being selected) means a lot to me,” Acuna said. “Along the same lines, these fans who came out and voted for me, they deserve it as much as I do. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Prior to his injury, Acuna was having another stellar season that positioned him for a run at his first MVP award. He leads the Braves in batting average (0.283), homers (24) and stolen goals this season (17), and leads all the big leagues with 72 points scored.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Acuna is only the fifth player to compile at least 100 home runs and 75 stolen bases at 23 or under, joining Mike Trout, Andruw Jones, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr.
“This guy is arguably the best player in the game right now,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s going to be hard to replace him. Someone’s going to have an opportunity, whether it’s someone in this clubhouse or somewhere else, who knows? That’s what you do in our company, you keep going, keep going. to play. “
Atlanta’s victory on Saturday tied the Braves’ season record at 44-44. The reigning three-time champions East NL have struggled with injury and inconsistency all season. Their game in Miami on Sunday was their seventh chance this season to go over 0.500. Atlanta has abandoned its previous six games in this situation. While the Braves’ season goals without Acuna will become more difficult to achieve, he at least believes in his teammates.
“When I heard the news (about the ACL), I was really sad,” Acuna said. “I love to play and that’s what I want to do, to be able to play. I’m really sad and disappointed for the team. I know they need me and I want to be there for them, to help contribute . I have the utmost confidence in my teammates to go out and produce, and I know they will do very well. “
Atlanta’s post-Acuna portion of the season got off to a bad start on Sunday. Pablo Lopez of the Marlins struck out the Braves’ first nine hitters, becoming the first starting pitcher since 1884 to strike out the opposing first nine hitters in a game.
As for Acuna’s remarkable early career trajectory, he could draw inspiration from the career of New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle, who suffered a devastating knee injury in the 1951 World Series but is became one of the best baseball players of all time.
In the 2018 playoffs, the then 20-year-old Acuna broke Mantle’s record as the youngest player to win a playoff grand slam, connecting Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the division series. After the match, Acuna admitted that he had never heard of Mantle, saying: “I was not even born.”
Now he and Mantle are connected in another way that no MLB fan wanted to see. Still, Snitker thinks there’s no reason Acuna can’t end up in the same place as Mantle: Cooperstown.
“It’s just another punch in the guts that we have to endure,” Snitker said. “But you know what, he’s a young and strong guy. He’ll recover well and pursue a Hall of Fame career when he’s finished.”
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