Braves' Ronald Acuna: Two more steals before early exit
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Acuna went 1-for-2 with a run scored, an RBI and two stolen bases before being replaced by Kevin Pillar in the third inning of Friday's 10-6 loss to the Nationals.
There were no injury concerns with the 25-year-old superstar; he simply got some extra rest with Atlanta having locked up the top seed in the National League playoffs. The steals were the 71st and 72nd of the season for Acuna, and he's now tied with Otis Nixon's 1991 campaign for the third-most in franchise history and the most in the modern era -- only King Kelly's 84 in 1887 and the original Billy Hamilton's 83 in 1896 rank ahead of him.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Joins 40-70 club
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Acuna went 2-for-5 with an RBI, two runs scored and two steals in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Cubs in 10 innings.
With his two stolen bases Wednesday, Acuna became the first player since 2009 to reach 70 steals while becoming the first player in MLB history to reach 40 home runs and 70 steals in a season. The 25-year-old outfielder has been on a tear as he wraps up an MVP-worthy campaign, going 29-for-78 (.372) with long balls in his last 11 games.
Acuna is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader in Washington.
Acuna served as the designated hitter in the matinee and went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. The 25-year-old missed two contests last weekend with calf tightness, so it's not a major surprise Atlanta will start him for only one game of the twin bill. Kevin Pillar will start in right field in Game 2.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Joins 40-40 club
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Acuna went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Friday's 9-6 win over Washington.
Acuna joined an elite club when he launched a 379-foot solo shot off Patrick Corbin for his 40th homer, as only four other players (Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano) have hit 40 homers and swiped 40 bags in the same season. With 68 steals though, Acuna is the sole member of the 40-50 and 40-60 clubs, and 40-70 isn't off the table either. He's putting the finishing touches on an MVP-caliber season and is slashing .337/.415/.597 with 143 runs and 101 RBI over 710 plate appearances.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Two more homers, steal in win
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Acuna went 3-for-5 with a pair of solo homers, an additional run scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Phillies.
After missing two games with calf tightness, Acuna's picked up right where he left off, going 4-for-9 with a double and a homer in his last two contests. The outfielder is now one homer shy of becoming the first player to join the 40-40 club since Alfonso Soriano in 2006. Acuna, the presumptive NL MVP, is batting .338 with a 1.014 OPS, 138 runs scored, 100 RBI and 67 steals through 694 plate appearances this season.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Back after two-game absence
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Acuna (calf) will start in right field and bat leadoff in Monday's game against the Phillies.
Atlanta was swept by Miami over the weekend while the frontrunner for the National League MVP Award was sidelined for the final two games of the series, but Acuna will be back in action for the start of a big three-game set with another divisional rival. Since he's been managing calf tightness of late and Atlanta has already clinched the National League East title, Acuna could receive an off day at some point this week, but his inclusion in the lineup Monday should be reason enough for fantasy managers to activate him with confidence. Kevin Pillar will head back to the bench after spelling Acuna in right field the past two days.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Sitting again Sunday
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Acuna (calf) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
It'll be the second straight game on the bench for Acuna after he exited Friday's contest with calf tightness. Atlanta has already wrapped up the NL East crown and holds a four-game advantage for the best record in the majors, so it's hardly a surprise it's being cautious with the star outfielder. Kevin Pillar will start in right field while Ozzie Albies takes over atop the order.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Won't start Saturday
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Acuna (calf) won't start Saturday's game against Miami, Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan Atlanta reports.
Acuna exited Friday's series opener with right calf tightness, and while the team called his removal precautionary, the injury will cost him at least one start. That's not necessarily a sign that the injury is worse than originally feared, however, as Atlanta's 6.5-game lead for the top seed in the National League means it can afford quite a bit of caution down the stretch. Per Paige Leckie of MLB.com, Acuna felt better Saturday morning, but the team doesn't want to take any chances and will not have him available off the bench.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Exits as precaution
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Acuna exited Friday's game against the Marlins in the seventh inning with right calf tightness.
Acuna pulled up after grounding into a double play to end the top of the seventh inning. He went out to right field to begin the bottom of the frame, though he exited after speaking with trainers. Positively, he appears to have avoided a serious issue.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Gets aboard four times in loss
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Acuna went 2-for-3 with two walks, one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Pirates.
Acuna picked up his second steal of September while getting on base multiple times for the third game in a row. Through eight games this month, he's hitting .314 (11-for-35) with five homers and eight RBI. The superstar outfielder is up to a .336/.417/.586 slash line with 35 homers, 91 RBI, 128 runs scored and 64 steals through 141 contests overall.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Slugs two homers in victory
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Acuna went 2-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs Thursday in an 8-5 win against the Cardinals.
Acuna tagged veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright for two solo homers in the contest, bringing his season total up to 34. The All-Star outfielder already has the first 30-60 season in MLB history to his name, and he has a chance to go 40-60 if he can power up down the stretch. Acuna had been going through a rare rough patch with a 1-for-14 stretch over his previous three games entering Thursday, but he's shown this season that opposing pitchers have little chance of keeping him down for long.
Braves' Ronald Acuna: Homers in third straight game
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Acuna went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Dodgers.
Acuna hasn't slowed down since achieving the majors' first 30-60 campaign Thursday, as he's homered in each of the two games since. He's gone 13-for-28 (.464) during his active six-game hitting streak, and he's even driven in 11 runs out of the leadoff spot in that span. The superstar is slashing a stunning .337/.419/.582 with 32 homers, 63 stolen bases, 85 RBI and 123 runs scored over 135 contests.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Cements MLB's first 30-60 campaign
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Acuna went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, a walk and a stolen base Thursday in an 8-7 victory versus the Dodgers.
In a meeting between the NL's two top teams -- and, arguably, between the league's two top MVP candidates in Acuna and Mookie Betts -- Acuna stole the show early with a second-inning grand slam that gave Atlanta its first lead. The long ball will go down in history, as it gave Acuna 30 homers on the campaign, making him the first player in major-league history with 30 home runs and 60 steals in a single season. The speedy outfielder raised his theft total to 62 with a swipe of second base in the ninth, furthering his MVP case in a contest during which Betts impressed with two homers of his own. The two superstars figure to duke it out for the award over the final month of the campaign.
Braves' Ronald Acuna: Closes in on history with huge game
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Acuna went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, a walk, four total runs, five total RBI and two stolen bases Monday in a 14-5 rout of the Rockies.
Acuna stuffed the stat sheet with a huge performance that included a season-high five RBI. The superstar outfielder finished with his second four-hit game of the campaign, and this was also the second time this season that he's scored four times in a contest. Acuna reached 60 steals with his theft in the seventh inning, and he added another swipe in the following frame. He also hit his 29th long ball of the campaign, crushing a two-run shot in the fifth inning. Acuna needs just one more home run to notch the first 30/60 season in major-league history.
