Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. teases his arrival with chilling warning following latest update
The Atlanta Braves are about to get a major upgrade in their offense in the form of former NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr., who teased his arrival for the season. The team hasn't had the best start to the season, but it may soon change with Acuna nearing his MLB return following his latest rehab update.
Acuna, rehabbing from a left knee ACL tear since May last year, is scheduled for a minor league assignment on Tuesday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. He will have to play a few rehab games before the Braves upgrade him to the major league roster.
On Monday, the Venezuelan posted a story on Instagram featuring an image of a helicopter flying near the face of a massive gorilla — presumably King Kong – hinting at the storm he’s about to bring when he returns. The second story simply said:
“LOADING...,” suggesting that the countdown to his comeback has begun.
While it’s expected Acuna will need several weeks of rehab games before rejoining the Braves’ lineup, the news of his assignment has already ignited excitement among the club's faithful. His return could provide a major boost to the squad looking to regain momentum in the NL East.
Braves manager on Ronald Acuna Jr.'s return timeline
While there is no firm timeline for Acuna's return, one can assume that until the end of May, the Braves outfielder is not expected to complete his rehab.
When Braves manager Brian Snitker was asked about Acuna, he said via Newsweek.com:
"It'll be a day-to-day thing there too. They'll re-evaluate him again like anybody the day after and see how he feels, but it'll just be good to get him running around in the outfield again."
After completing his assignment at North Port in the Florida Complex Rookie League, the outfielder will head to Triple-A Gwinnett for his next assignment.
Before tearing his ACL last season, Acuna Jr. featured in 49 games, where he hit .250 with four home runs, 15 RBIs and an OPS of .716. When it happened, it robbed the Braves of one of their biggest star who was coming off an MVP campaign in 2023.
Acuna Jr.'s return is massive news for the Braves, who are already running thin in the outfield after they lost star offseason acquisition Jurickson Profar to an 80-game suspension due to alleged PED usage.