The Braves activated their former NL MVP Monday ahead of the series opener at Citi Field, optioning outfielder Brewer Hicklen to Triple-A Gwinnett to clear the roster spot. It's the news Atlanta fans have been waiting on since Acuña reaggravated a left hamstring strain on June 9 -- his second hamstring scare of the season after an initial strain on May 2 knocked him out for two weeks before he came back on May 19.
The activation went official Monday, ending Acuña's latest hamstring-driven absence.
This has been a stop-and-start year for the 2023 NL MVP. Acuña is hitting.251 with 7 homers, 15 stolen bases and a.793 OPS, respectable numbers but in just 53 games -- a far cry from the 41-homer, 73-steal monster season that won him MVP honors two years ago. The hamstring has simply refused to cooperate, and this latest absence stretched out for nearly two months.
The rehab assignment gave reason for optimism, though. Acuña went 6-for-26 with a homer over 9 games between Triple-A Gwinnett and the FCL Braves, and the underlying data was even more encouraging -- 9 of the 16 balls he put in play for Gwinnett came off the bat at 95 mph or harder. That's exit-velocity evidence the wheels, and the legs under them, are actually sound again.
The timing matters. Atlanta needs every bit of thump it can get as the summer stretch run heats up, and getting a former MVP back in the 3-hole instead of watching from the training room is the kind of boost you can't trade for. Fantasy managers who stashed him through the IL stints are thrilled too -- a healthy Acuña is still one of the few 20-homer, 30-steal threats in the sport when he's right.
Nobody in Atlanta is popping champagne yet. This is the same player who's now been through two separate hamstring injuries in a single season, and the track record means every awkward jog to first base is going to get scrutinized. But for now, the Braves get to pencil in one of the best players alive and see what he can do over the season's final stretch.