Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider take significant steps toward returning to Braves

Former MVP outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (recovering from a torn left ACL), meanwhile, will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday in the Florida Complex League, making his return a matter of weeks.

The Braves need the reinforcements. They won Monday 4-3 against the Nationals even after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth. It pulled them within a game of .500, though they’ve been winless thus far in efforts to even their record.

They need a spark that Strider and/or Acuña could provide.

Pitching hasn’t been the Braves’ issue lately, but it’ll help to reinsert one of the game’s great strikeout artists into this rotation.

Strider could just be a week away.

The right-hander has made only one start in the past year. He underwent UCL surgery last April that ended his season, and after finally returning to start April 16, he suffered a grade-1 hamstring strain that’s kept him sidelined since.

Strider has continued throwing, all his work building up to Wednesday. He’s expected to throw around 70-75 pitches.

If the process goes accordingly, Strider could rejoin the rotation during the Braves’ series in Washington on May 20-22.

“We need (Strider) to be able to go 85 pitches, 90 maybe, when we decide for him to start a game,” manager Brian Snitker said.

Strider was the betting favorite for the 2024 Cy Young entering last season. He’s considered among the most dynamic hard-throwers in baseball. In his last full season (2023), Strider went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA, striking out 281 hitters in 186-2/3 innings. He earned his first All-Star nod during the campaign.

If Strider, 26, remains healthy, he should receive plenty more accolades over his career.

Acuña‘s timetable isn’t as clear, but appearing in games is a significant step. He’ll play the outfield, Snitker said, and the team will assess him daily to see when he’s ready to relocate his rehab to one of the minor-league affiliates. As a position player, Acuña is allowed a maximum of 20 days on rehab assignment.

“They’ll reevaluate him (every day) and determine the next steps,” Snitker said. “It’ll be good to get him running around in the outfield again and getting the at-bats. But there’s no timetable for when we’ll bring him back here. Those things are always subject to change. We’ll see how the at-bats are and see how he feels coming into each day after running around, then go from there. At some point in time, it’ll be time (to bring him up).”

Perhaps it’s unfair to place heightened expectations on Acuña when he returns, but the Braves desperately need better outfield production. Left fielder Alex Verdugo has cooled since his red-hot start, carrying a .625 OPS into Monday (when he went 2-for-5 with the walk-off hit).

Center fielder Michael Harris II has provided little offensively with a .601 OPS. Utilityman Eli White has unexpectedly provided the best production (.840 OPS, though he’s dipped in May with a .678 mark in 10 games before Monday).

At his best, Acuña is a game-altering talent. He won MVP in 2023, his last full season, after hitting .337/.416/.596 with 41 homers, 106 RBIs and 73 stolen bases. He didn’t resemble that form in the 49 games before his injury last season, though, hitting .250 with a .716 OPS.

“He’s a special player,” Braves starter Grant Holmes said. “I’ve never played with him, and from what I’ve heard, he’s a game changer. So getting him back, with how we’ve been playing lately, I feel like it’s going to be an amazing add.”

It’s reasonable to expect Acuña to play more conservatively given he’s returning from a second ACL tear. But even as he reacclimates himself, he should bolster the lineup.

“It’s really exciting,” Harris said of Acuña beginning his rehab assignment. “Just knowing how hard he’s worked to get in position to be back with the team. Just hoping it goes well and he can be the player I know he can be when he comes back.”