Atlanta Braves still face an uphill battle, but with Ronald Acuña Jr., anything seems possible

Yahoo

5 hours ago

NEW YORK — Around Ronald Acuña Jr.'s neck hangs an unavoidable symbol of his own excellence. As if such a reminder were necessary.
Atlanta's swashbuckling outfielder has never been shy about expressing himself via his jewelry on the diamond. For most of his career, Acuña rocked an enormous, gold, diamond-crusted No. 13 pendant. That trademark piece grew into such a signature that during Acuña's rip-roaring, record-setting, 41-homer, 73-steal 2023 NL MVP season, one of the Braves' promotional giveaways was a replica version of their superstar's ice.
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But this season, the 27-year-old has unveiled something new, something different: a gold, octagonal, jewel-encrusted medallion designed to look exactly like the MVP trophy he won two years ago.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has been wearing a gold medallion inspired by the MVP trophy this season. ()
(Brandon Sloter via Getty Images)
The chain, a gift from Acuña's wife, is a subtle, shimmering reminder of what this spectacular talent can do. He is one of the few players in baseball capable of bending a game to his will. His electrifying solo homer on Monday provided the difference in the Braves' 3-2 win over the Mets. And even though he went 0-for-3 with two walks on Tuesday, Acuña's presence in the leadoff spot changes the entire complexion of Atlanta's offense.
'Him in the lineup, it helps everybody,' Braves manager Brian Snitker said. 'What he's doing, how he's doing it, taking his walks — that's awesome.'
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Since missing the last four months of 2024 and the first two months of this season while recovering from his second career ACL surgery, Acuña has reemerged like a bat out of hell. He went deep on the very first pitch he saw in May. He is slashing .385/.496/.692 with nine homers in just 29 games. He has swiped four bags on his surgically repaired legs. His arm, which has always been strong, now grades out as the single strongest outfield arm in MLB. But most importantly, he looks explosive, dangerous, formidable — everything his stuck-in-neutral ballclub desperately needs him to be.
That's because these Atlanta Braves and their seven consecutive playoff appearances are facing quite the climb. After their 7-4 victory on Tuesday, the Braves are 37-41, 9.5 games back in the division and six games out of the last NL wild card. Their postseason odds have plummeted from 92.5% on Opening Day to 33.3% as of Wednesday. That is by far the largest drop in MLB. Atlanta's offense, which underwhelmed before Acuña's return, has been just as statistically drab since the outfielder reappeared. In other words: The Braves cannot simply rely on their supernova to save them.
To be fair, some of the underperformance to this point can be pinned on poor luck and batted-ball sequencing. The Braves' run differential (+29) is that of a team five games over .500, not four games under. Monday's win over New York moved Atlanta to a still substandard 11-19 in one-run games, largely a byproduct of closer Raisel Iglesias' shaky performance thus far in 2025.
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Injuries have played a part as well. Being without Acuña for eight weeks was a significant impediment. All-Star hurler Reynaldo Lopez has been on the shelf all season. Flame-throwing ace Spencer Strider has taken some time, in his return from Tommy John surgery, to round into form. Not to be forgotten, the team's biggest free-agent addition, Jurickson Profar, has been serving a PED suspension since spring training. He's expected to join the Braves when his suspension expires on July 2.
This past weekend brought even more bad news: Reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale will be out for an undetermined amount of time after suffering a fractured rib cage while making a diving catch during his most recent outing.
Still, Atlanta's humbling first half has been about more than bad bounces and boo-boos.
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This offense, which set multiple MLB records just two years ago with many of the same characters, has been an utter disappointment. Atlanta ranks 22nd in runs scored, 18th in homers and 19th in wRC+.
There are many culprits. Spectacular as his center-field glove might be, Michael Harris II's OPS starts with a five. Meanwhile, the Profar fill-ins in left field have combined for a .540 OPS, the second-lowest mark of any team in baseball. New shortstop Nick Allen is a defensive magician, but he's also homerless with a .574 OPS in 229 plate appearances. Marcell Ozuna, who finished fourth in MVP voting a year ago, is playing through a hip issue that has sapped his power and limited his output. Austin Riley has been solid but far below his All-Star standards.
Yet no performance has been more concerning than that of three-time All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies, who has the ninth-lowest OPS this year among qualified hitters. All the batted ball data further confirms the Curacaoan's sharp decline. Albies has always been a free swinger, even at his best, but in the past, he was able to overcome that aggression by impacting the baseball with authority in the air and to the pull side. So far in 2025, those traits are nowhere to be seen.
A startling lack of organizational depth has only amplified the big-league struggles. When Profar got popped for juicing, the Braves were forced to turn to free-agent band-aid Alex Verdugo, who has struggled mightily. The upper minors are barren of helpful pieces, on both sides of the ball. Even worse, Atlanta's farm system is light on impact prospects who could be flipped for reinforcements at the deadline.
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To be fair, this organization — as president of baseball operations Alex Anthopolous is wont to remind you — has been down and out before. They battled back to clinch a spot in the postseason in the final game a year ago. And most famously, the 2021 Braves had 7.7% playoff odds on July 28. Then Anthopolous made lemonade out of nothing at the deadline, and the club rallied to sneak into a wild-card spot. That season ended under a downpour of confetti and a parade through the streets of Atlanta.
But the shining glory of 2021 has little impact on the stark realities of 2025, something Snitker seems to understand.
'Every one of these seasons has its own identity,' he told reporters before Tuesday's game. 'You can't just sit back and think it's going to happen, because it doesn't work that way.'
As unique as each season might appear — Snitker, for instance, has a frosty, white goatee now — the Braves do have a striking amount of continuity on offense. Albies, Acuña, Ozuna, Riley, Harris, Matt Olson and Sean Murphy have all been around for multiple playoff runs. Anthopolous has received much praise for his willingness and ability to secure many of those players on team-friendly, long-term deals. But that strategy works only as well as the players perform.
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Still, this season, nearly half-gone, is also very much alive. There is ample time for the Braves to find their way back to October. Dodging any additional big injuries will be vital; surviving Sale's absence will be tough as is. Getting more production from the bottom of the order is another must. It's still too early to say whether this club — winners of five straight against the Mets over the past two weeks — has actually turned a corner, but there's more than enough runway for optimism.
Having a superstar such as Acuña back in the fold certainly helps.