Braves news: Ronald Acuña Jr. injury update, trade targets still with team
Credit: AP
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On the eve of the trade deadline, the Braves’ most likely trade pieces were not only wearing Braves uniforms but playing in them.
The team also received an injury update on star right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. that was received positively. A medical exam Wednesday found that Acuña, initially diagnosed with an inflammation of his right Achilles, had a Grade-1 lower calf strain, which is the least severe. He is on the 10-day injured list and expected to return in a few weeks.
It’s a sigh of relief for the team after he was pulled from Tuesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals when he ran gingerly in pursuit of balls hit in his direction.
“It’s not the Achilles, obviously, but those calves are funny, too,” manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s a big muscle for a speed guy, so hopefully they get him treated up and we get him back sooner than later.”
The subject of trade talk, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna started for the third consecutive game, a 1-0 10-inning loss to the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. After homering in each of the two previous starts, he was 0-for-4 Wednesday. Closer Raisel Iglesias came on to pitch a scoreless ninth. Reliever Pierce Johnson, another possible (though less likely) trade chip, retired the only batter he faced in the bottom of the seventh.
Whether they are with the team when the trade deadline arrives at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday was an unknown as of Wednesday evening.
“Honestly, I haven’t heard anything from anybody about anything, and just talking to guys, I think this one’s going to go down to the very end,” Snitker said. “I think it’ll probably be 5 till 6 (p.m.) before things are happening, and a lot of the guys will come off the board. I don’t know what to expect, quite honestly.”
The Braves, who will see their seven-year postseason streak come to an end this fall, find themselves in the unfamiliar position of potentially losing key members of the roster as opposed to hoping for a key addition. Ozuna has been the team’s DH since 2020. Iglesias has been a valued reliever, and mostly a closer, since arriving at the 2022 trade deadline.
“Everybody accepts it,” Snitker said. “It’s part of the game. It’s never fun. You make great relationships with people, but that’s this business. You just deal with it.”
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
