Ronald Acuna Jr. vs Adolis Garcia Player Predictions for Atlanta Braves vs Texas Rangers - 30th April | MLB 2022

Atlanta Braves v Texas Rangers will face off in Arlington, Texas this weekend as the two struggling teams hope they can pull themselves up from mediocre records early from earlier this year.

The World Series reigning champion Atlanta Braves will be bringing in the big guns in their April 30 matchup against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. The face of the franchise Ronald Acuna Jr. will finally return to the Atlanta Braves lineup as he hopes to pull the team to a winning record. In his absence, the Braves have stumbled into third place in the NL East behind the New York Mets and Miami Marlins.

Meanwhile, the Rangers are trying to pull themselves out of the cellar of the AL West. They will be relying on their own young star outfielder Adolis Garcia. Garcia is off to a slow start in his sophomore season. However, the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year finalist will look to get his season back on track against the Braves.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Preview

Acuna Jr. was on a torrid pace during the 2021 season and was positioning himself quite well for an MVP run. He was on pace to hit more than 45 homers and drive in more than 100 runs for a Braves squad that would eventually win the World Series. However, a torn ACL derailed the superstar outfielder's season, forcing Acuna Jr. to sit on the sidelines while his team won it all without him.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍

@ronaldacunajr24 is back. https://t.co/bwyyYtVGDg

"The Return" -@BravesOnBally

However, the team needs him now more than ever. Freddie Freeman has departed via free agency to the LA Dodgers and playoff hero Joc Pederson is now helping the San Francisco defend its National League West title. If Acuna can recapture the form that brought him success last season, he should provide Atlanta with another lethal bat.

Adolis Garcia Preview

Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia has been stellar in his young career as a member of the Texas Rangers. Garcia presents himself as a piece that can be built around in Arlington.

After being signed by the Texas Rangers out of Cuba, Adolis Garcia was finally allowed to display his talents in Arlington. Garcia earned an All-Star game roster spot for the AL in 2021. Garcia continued to hit for the remainder of the campaign, finishing the year with 31 home runs and 91 runs batted in.

Adolis Garcia called GAME https://t.co/Y2VItS0bQo

"Adolis Garcia called GAME" -@TalkinBaseball

He hopes to be one of the building blocks for a successful Rangers culture.

Ronald Acuna Jr vs the Texas Rangers rotation:

Acuna Jr. has never played against the Texas Rangers in his Major League Baseball career. This series will be the first time the young outfielder plays against the Rangers.

Adolis Garcia vs the Atlanta Braves rotation

Adolis Garcia only has one single at-bat against the Atlanta Braves in his young tenure as a Major Leaguer. He will be starting his first game against the Braves of his career this series.

Acuna Jr. vs Garcia

While it may be too much to expect from Ronald Acuna Jr. to hit the ground running and pick up where he left off in the middle of the 2021 season, indications are that it'll be a slow transition as he looks to rehab is ACL. Thursday, in his first appearance of the year, a 5-1 win over the Cubs, Acuna Jr. had five at-bats with a single and two strikeouts. He also stole two bases.

Acuna is one of the most talented batters in the world, and against Texas he will solidify his return with a homerun. Garcia, however, will continue his cold spell for a little while longer.