Ronald Acuña Jr. to go on 10-day IL with Achilles tightness

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A season that has met a growing assortment of setbacks experienced a most significant injury Tuesday night.

After being removed mid-game when he was halting in his pursuit of a fly ball against the Kansas City Royals, Braves star right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will go on the 10-day injured list with tightness in his right Achilles tendon.

The 2023 National League MVP, who returned from a torn ACL in his right knee May 23 and has played at top form since, said he initially tweaked the Achilles on Monday night at Kauffman Stadium while racing around the bases from first to home.

“I think it definitely got worse (Tuesday),” Acuña said through team interpreter Francisco García after the game, a 9-6 loss. “I told them (Monday) and everyone said, ‘Hey, take the day if you want to; you can have the day off.’ But I’ve just missed so much time already through injures, I don’t want to miss any more time.”

Acuña spoke with media with his lower right leg in a walking boot. He was emotional in discussing the injury and the prospect of missing time, even in this season with the postseason only the faintest possibility. He said he did not feel a pop when running for the fly ball, but will be examined Wednesday by the team medical staff.

“It’s more pain, but I feel it a lot when I try to put pressure on it,” Acuña said.

Manager Brian Snitker made the move to remove Acuña in the top of the sixth inning after he unsuccessfully chased Vinnie Pasquantino’s fly ball into the right-center gap. The ball bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. Acuña appeared to run with some limitation as he pursued the ball, decelerating with care. Earlier in the game, he had been similarly measured trying to catch a foul ball that he could not reach in time.

After that foul ball, “I was kind of out there and I was just hoping they wouldn’t hit it my way,” Acuña said. “And, of course, any time you do that, they always hit it your way.”

After the ground-rule double, reliever Enyel De Los Santos threw one pitch to the next batter and then Eli White came out to replace Acuña, who at first wagged his finger to indicate that he didn’t want to come out of the game.

“I just asked them to leave me in,” he said.

Acuña jogged off the field, entered the dugout and then left down the tunnel leading to the clubhouse.

“It bothered him a little bit but he wanted to keep trying,” Snitker said. “When he went to the line to get that ball and the ball in the gap, I was just like, ‘He might end up hurting it worse.’”