The Braves may finally be getting a jolt back in the lineup after the All-Star break.
According to an official team announcement, Ronald Acuna Jr. will begin a rehab assignment on Monday with the FCL Braves. Acuna is currently on the injured list after suffering his second hamstring injury of the season.
Atlanta has felt the absence. The team has had trouble getting steady production from its right fielders, even though the Braves still rank ninth in Wins Above Average at 1.8 this season. A healthy Acuna would almost certainly lift that mark.
Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is also set to start his rehab assignment Monday with the FCL Braves.
The bigger concern with Acuna has become availability. Since his first ACL tear in 2021, staying on the field has been an issue. He suffered another torn ACL in 2024, and that injury, along with two IL stints in 2026, has limited the 2023 MVP to 197 of a possible 419 games.
When he’s right, though, Acuna remains one of the sport’s most dangerous players. His 40-70 MVP season in 2023 is still the clearest reminder of what he can do at full strength.
Atlanta’s offense could use the lift. The Braves are 10-16 over their last 26 games and have averaged 4.2 runs per game in that stretch. Two 10-run games have padded that number; without them, the scoring pace would look even thinner.
If Acuna comes back healthy and sharp, he could be exactly the spark Atlanta needs to rediscover the form it showed over the first two-and-a-half months of the season.
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