Braves Report: Déjà vu all over again

Hey there. Sometimes, a season just ain’t fair. I’m here to limp with y’all through the trade deadline and maybe surprise with a win or two.

CAN’T GET ANY WORSE, RIGHT?

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

From the start of his 2021 season (when he suffered his first ACL tear) through Tuesday, injuries had limited Ronald Acuña Jr. to playing in 62% of the team’s regular-season games, not to mention missing the 2021 World Series run.

Ronald Acuña Jr., the 2023 National League MVP, who returned from a torn ACL in his right knee May 23 and has played at top form since, is out again.

The Braves put him on the 10-day injured list with tightness in his right Achilles tendon. Acuña said he initially tweaked the Achilles on Monday night at Kauffman Stadium while racing around the bases from first to home.

Manager Brian Snitker removed Acuña in the top of the sixth inning Tuesday after he unsuccessfully chased Vinnie Pasquantino’s fly ball into the right-center gap.

This is Acuña’s second injury since returning from a torn ACL in his right knee May 23. Since returning from the ACL tear, he has hit .306 with 14 home runs in 196 at-bats while making a number of stellar defensive plays.

Acuña had his lower right leg in a walking boot when speaking to the media. He was emotional in discussing the injury and the prospect of missing time, even in what has become a lost season.

Braves Report friend Ken Sugiura writes the trap doors continue to swing open beneath the Braves, just two years removed from back-to-back 100-win seasons.

Now, a 100-loss season, which would be the first since 1988, doesn’t seem out of the question.

BACK FROM GWINNETT

The Braves called up a familiar replacement: outfielder Jarred Kelenic.

A former first-round pick acquired by the Braves in a December 2023 trade with the Seattle Mariners, Kelenic hit .231 in 412 at-bats in 2024 and then fared even worse to start the 2025 season, hitting .167 in 60 at-bats. This prompted his getting optioned to Gwinnett after appearing in 23 games.

Unfortunately for Kelenic, Triple-A baseball has not been much kinder. In 280 at-bats with the Stripers, Kelenic hit .218 with a .610 OPS.

NEXT UP

The series finale against Kansas City is today after the Braves’ 9-6 loss last night.

📺 Time: First pitch at 2:10 p.m. at Kaufman Stadium

⚾ Pitching matchups:

• Braves: Joey Wentz (2-2,5.76 ERA, 42 SO)
• Royals: Angel Zerpa (3-1, 4.15 ERA, 42 SO)

📝 Bigger picture: The Braves are now 45-61. They’ve lost eight of 11 since the All-Star break. They have allowed eight or more runs six times, all in defeat.

NEW LIFE?

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

It's been a tough year for Michael Harris II, who signed an eight-year, $72 million extension in the midst of his standout rookie season in 2022.

There’s been a resurgence amid the overall Braves horror show: Michael Harris II.

The 24-year-old center fielder ended his monthslong slump by changing how high he held his bat, writes Sugiura.

His production spike peaked with his being named the National League Player of the Week on Monday after hitting .478 (11-for-23) with two home runs, two doubles, two triples and a walk over six games.

SAD STATS

• In going to the IL, Acuña joins all five of the pitchers who made up the season’s initial rotation.
• From July 1 through Monday, the Braves’ ERA was 5.68 — 28th in MLB. Through June 30, it was 3.76, 12th in MLB. They were 38-45 up to that point and are now 7-16 since.
• The bullpen began Wednesday tied for most innings pitched since July 1 (about the time that Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach’s injuries hit) and has been unsurprisingly ineffective (5.56 ERA, 26th in MLB).