The Atlanta Braves got good news on Ronald Acuña Jr.'s injury, as his X-rays came back negative after the game and is day-to-day. Acuna, one of the Braves' best players and a key name for their postseason run, fouled a ball off of his front leg in Tuesday's game, immediately falling to the ground afterwards. After a minute or two on the floor, Acuña got up on his own and managed to walk off the field, coming out of the game.
He has struggled with leg injuries over the past few seasons, making several trips to the injured list since 2024, so the severity — or lack thereof — of his leg injury is great news for the Braves. The former MVP has been one of the Braves' best players in September, position unreal numbers over the course of the past few weeks. He has seven home runs this month, driving in 19 runs, and his OPS is north of 1.000.
Acuna had a slow start to the year, struggling with a couple of hamstring injuries before settling in at the end of the year, and his season numbers reflect his struggles. He has 20 homers on the year, driving in 55 runs while posting a .814 OPS, which is still fantastic production despite his difficult stretches throughout the year. Additionally, Acuna has participated in 104 games so far this year, which is the most he has played since 2023, when he won the NL MVP award.
The Braves went on to lose Tuesday's game, though they've already secured their spot atop the NL East. They're likely to go into the Wild Card round of the playoffs, as the Dodgers need just two wins to secure the No. 2 spot. Their opponent, though, could be any of the three teams currently battling it out for position in the Wild Card.
The San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs were tied at the top heading into Tuesday's games, and the Philadelphia Phillies moved within 0.5 games after winning the first game of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Whichever team finishes in the third spot of the Wild Card will face the Braves, but which team that will be is yet to be determined.
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