Star outfielder Ronald Acuna had to leave the Braves' game in the fourth inning Friday night after fouling a ball off his left ankle.
Less than an hour after Acuna left the game, the Braves said X-rays revealed no fracture. Acuna’s status is day-to-day, the team said.
Acuna, clearly in pain, fell to the ground as the ball struck him. He was helped off the field and down the dugout steps by Braves manager Brian Snitker and a trainer. Acuna wasn’t putting weight on his left foot.
He was taken to the Braves' clubhouse at Nationals Park in Washington for examination of the injury.
“When he did it, he couldn’t stand on it, but then by the time they got him upstairs, he walked over, had it X-rayed, and everything’s good," Snitker said after the game. “I haven’t heard if he’ll be available (Saturday), but it’s a heck of a lot better than it was when he left the field. I’m hoping he’ll be able to play. (How it feels) in the morning will tell, but they said it’s not that bad right now.
"I think he hit a nerve or something when he fouled it off there. He lost feeling in it. That’s why we had to carry him. But they said he walked to the X-ray, was jumping on it, wasn’t feeling too bad.”
Snitker said the foul ball struck Acuna “right by his ankle bone.” The manager said he didn’t know “for sure” whether further tests, such as an MRI, would be required.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Acuna, 22, has missed time previously this season with wrist and hamstring injuries. He has a .280 batting average with 11 home runs, 22 RBIs and a team-leading 1.088 OPS in 32 games.
