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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Poised to run more this season
Rotowire
Acuna may be one of the players who benefits the most from Atlanta having hired Antoan Richardson as its new baserunning coach, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Richardson was the man most responsible for Juan Soto's stunning 38-steal campaign in 2025, and the coach might have a little more to work with in Atlanta with Michael Harris, Ozzie Albies and Acuna all potentially capable of making a much bigger impact with their legs. A more aggressive approach on the basepaths also fits with new manager Walt Weiss' philosophy. "Antoan knows how important baserunning is to me," Weiss said. "It's really important to him, and he's made it important to the players." Acuna stole an incredible 73 bags in 2023, but he went just 9-for-10 on SB attempts in 2025 in his first year back from ACL surgery. With Richardson's acumen in analyzing pitcher tendencies to support him, Acuna is likely to ramp up his activity on the basepaths once again.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Looks like old self Friday
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Acuna went 2-for-3 with a walk, a grand slam, two additional runs scored and two stolen bases in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox.
The star outfielder clubbed his first homer of the spring with the bases loaded in the third inning off minor leaguer Steven Brooks, one of four long balls by Atlanta on the day. Power display aside, it was Acuna's activity on the basepaths that might be the most important takeaway for fantasy GMs -- while the 28-year-old didn't run much last season after May 2024 surgery to repair a torn ACL, he's just a couple years removed from becoming the first player in MLB history to join the 40-70 club in 2023, stealing 73 bags in 87 attempts to go along with 41 homers, 106 RBI, 149 runs, a .337/.416/.596 slash line and NL MVP honors.
Acuna will hit in the leadoff spot for 2026, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Acuna bounced around Atlanta's batting order in 2025, leading off 43 times, batting third 46 times and batting sixth twice. He'll open the 2026 season as the team's leadoff hitter, a role which Jurickson Profar filled to end the previous campaign. Acuna, though limited to 95 games because of injury, slashed .290/.417/.518 with 21 home runs, nine stolen bases and a 71:102 BB:K across 412 plate appearances in 2025.
Acuna has received permission from Atlanta to play in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League this winter, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
Acuna was limited to 412 plate appearances in 2025 while recovering from a torn ACL while also dealing with a calf issue later in the campaign. Coming off the shortened campaign, he'll play for Tiburones de La Guaira this winter to get in some extra reps. Reports suggest he aims to report to the team in the last week of November or early December.
Acuna went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Pirates.
Acuna had a total of 21 homers for the season, including six over his last 16 games. In that span, he hit .373 (22-for-59) and added 10 RBI and three stolen bases. The star outfielder concludes 2025 at a .290/.417/.518 slash line, 42 RBI, 74 runs scored and nine steals across 95 contests in another campaign disrupted by injuries.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Goes deep once again
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Acuna went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Nationals.
Acuna hit a towering home run off Brad Lord in the sixth to push Atlanta ahead 2-1. It was Acuna's second straight game with a homer and his fifth over his last 12 games. Acuna's up to 20 home runs in 91 games, though that's only led to 40 runs driven in for the season.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Crushes 19th homer
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Acuna went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, an additional RBI, an additional run scored and three walks in Monday's 11-5 win over Washington.
Acuna answered Nasim Nunez's leadoff homer in the first inning with a solo shot of his own to even the score, then was pitched around the rest of the night, drawing three walks for the fourth time this season. While Atlanta's year has fallen short of expectations, the star right fielder has continued to produce when healthy, slashing .285/.415/.508 with 12 doubles, 19 homers and 39 RBI in 90 games.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Belts 18th homer
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Acuna went 1-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 10-1 win over the Tigers.
The star outfielder took Charlie Morton deep in the second inning as Atlanta jumped out to a 6-0 lead. Acuna's bat has come alive as the season comes to a close, and over his last 10 games he's slashing .368/.467/.632 with three of his 18 homers on the season, along with one steal, four RBI and nine runs.
Acuna went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 11-3 loss to the Astros.
The right fielder took Colton Gordon deep in the sixth inning to get Atlanta on the board, although they were already staring at an 11-0 deficit at that point. The homer was Acuna's 16th of the season in only 80 contests, but his first since Aug. 22, snapping a 17-game drought in which he's batted just .143 (8-for-56) with two doubles. Acuna's capable of heating up in a hurry, and with five hits in his last four starts, he could be gearing up for a big finish to the campaign.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Two hits in Tuesday's loss
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Acuna went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Cubs.
Dropped down to seventh in the batting order amidst a slump, Acuna produced his first extra-base hit since Aug. 29 and his first multi-hit performance since Aug. 26. One solid game won't erase a 2-for-34 (.059) skid over his prior 11 contests, but it is an encouraging sign. On the season, Acuna still boasts an .892 OPS with 15 homers, six steals, 32 RBI and 59 runs in 78 games.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Batting seventh Sunday
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Acuna will start in right field and bat seventh Sunday against the Mariners.
Acuna was dropped down to the No. 6 spot in the order for Saturday's contest and is now hitting out of the No. 7 hole while he's in the midst of a 1-for-29 slump. The 27-year-old should return to the heart of the lineup once he gets back on track at the plate, but until that point, he may have more limited chances for run production.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Sitting amid slump
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Acuna is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners.
Acuna is out of the lineup for the first time since being activated from the 10-day injured list Aug. 15. His absence comes in the middle of an 0-for-20 stretch at the plate, during which Acuna is also striking out at a 38.1 percent clip. In Acuna's place, Jake Fraley will patrol right field.
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