Progress Reports: Ronald Acuña Jr. takes batting practice, works out with teammates on Thursday, National Analyst Names the Most Indispensable Member of the Atlanta Braves…..
Ronald Acuña Jr. has missed some time this spring after feeling discomfort in the meniscus of his right knee, but he appears to be trending in the right direction. On Thursday, Acuña returned to take batting practice and workout on the field with his teammates, an encouraging sign with three weeks to go until opening day.
The Braves and Acuña received good news on Monday as it was revealed he was just dealing with some inflammation in his knee following a visit to renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed Acuña’s ACL surgery in the middle of the 2021 season.
Given the early stage of the exhibition schedule and every reason to protect the reigning National League MVP, the Braves have played it safe with Acuña with the hopes of his knee issue calming down. It seems like things are on the right path, and the club has consistently said they expect the right fielder ready for opening day on March 28 in Philadelphia.
Look for Acuña to potentially return to the lineup in the next few days if all goes well following today’s workout. Atlanta continues the exhibition slate on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox with Bryce Elder on the mound.
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National Analyst Names the Most Indispensable Member of the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have arguably the best lineup in all of baseball.
Several key players on Atlanta’s roster could make the case for the most indispensable player. Will Leitch of MLB.com took on the task of naming each team’s most indispensable guy.
For the Atlanta Braves, he named centerfielder Michael Harris II as the player that the NL East champions would be lost without.
“Harris might seem like a bit of a reach considering how many superstars play for this team, but it’s worth remembering how much his ability to play center field instantly changed this team when he was called up in 2022,” Leitch wrote. “With Ronald Acuña Jr. firmly planted in right field, Atlanta’s center fielders ranked 28th in MLB in WAR in 2021, but they’re in the top 10 since. Harris’ presence shored up the outfield defense and it gave them an extra offensive producer and glue guy in the lineup. There’s no real replacement for a lot of the players on the Braves, but losing Harris II would force them to change basic aspects of what make them the Braves.”
Harris has been instrumental for the Braves since his debut and is a good choice, but other guys would have made sense too. Braves first baseman Matt Olson led the MLB in home runs a season ago – it would be close to impossible for Atlanta to replace that production.
Another option would be Spencer Strider. With questions already being asked about Atlanta’s starting rotation, the argument could be made that Strider could be Atlanta’s most indispensable player.
But Money Mike’s ability to impact the game both offensively and defensively makes it harder to replace him that some other options, and for that, this pick makes some sense.
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