The Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. went 1-for-3 with a double in his first rehab game with Gwinnett, but the Stripers (5-8) suffered their third straight shutout loss in a 2-0 defeat to the Jumbo Shrimp (6-7) on Tuesday night in Jacksonville.

Acuna played five innings in right field. He will serve as the Stripers’ designated hitter in the second game of the series Wednesday afternoon.

Acuña, who is rehabbing after tearing his ACL last summer, has been in Florida playing in simulated games. In those contests, which provide a controlled environment, he had been building up in the outfield while getting the necessary amount of at-bats.

The Braves sending Acuña on a rehab assignment means the star outfielder is ready to play five to six innings in the outfield right now. He will continue ramping up as he looks to soon join the Braves.

The Braves are still using May 6 as a loose target date for Acuña to join the big club. If Acuña returns on May 6, his first game in around 10 months would be at Truist Park against the Brewers.

Acuña will likely lead off for the Braves and play right field (when he’s in the outfield on a given day). The thinking is that Acuña will not immediately be a full-time outfielder when he returns to the majors because the Braves want to see how his body responds, and they’ll evaluate that daily.

Last season, Acuña hit .283 with a .990 on-base plus slugging percentage and 24 home runs before tearing his ACL in July.

The AJC’s Justin Toscano contributed to this article.

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8/26/17 - Atlanta, GA - Georgia leaders, including Gov. Nathan Deal, Sandra Deal, members of the King family, and Rep. Calvin Smyre,  were on hand for unveiling of the first statue of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday at the statehouse grounds, more than three years after Gov. Nathan Deal first announced the project.  During the hour-long ceremony leading to the unveiling of the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at the state Capitol on Monday, many speakers, including Gov. Nathan Deal, spoke of King's biography. The statue was unveiled on the anniversary of King's famed "I Have Dream" speech. BOB ANDRES  /BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres