Ronald Acuña Jr.’s late-season tear has given Atlanta another reason to feel good about October, and the only recent interruption came when a foul ball struck his left shin against Cincinnati on Tuesday night. X-rays and a CT scan found no fracture, leaving open the possibility that the Braves outfielder will be back after only a short absence.
Key takeaways
- Acuña owns a 1.119 OPS since Aug. 28, second best in the Majors over that span.
- His revised setup has produced a .368 average, seven homers and a 1.107 OPS.
- Atlanta’s NL East title has put added focus on what a healthy Acuña can bring in the postseason.
- He has dramatically improved against four-seam fastballs since changing his stance.
- The adjustment followed a late-August batting-practice session with Major League coach Eddie Pérez.
A workday that changed the picture
Manager Walt Weiss kept Acuña out of the lineup for the Aug. 27 finale against the Dodgers, a decision that came after a difficult stretch for the five-time All-Star. Through 81 games, Acuña was batting .228 with 13 home runs and a .732 OPS while navigating two left hamstring strains.
After leaving the ballpark that evening, Acuña contacted Pérez and asked to arrive early for batting practice the next day. The session produced a familiar-looking answer: move a little farther from the plate, spread the feet and close the stance. The result resembled the setup Acuña used while winning the 2023 National League MVP Award.
“If a player is getting a day off, it usually means he has been going through something,” Weiss said, explaining that the break also created a useful opportunity for work. He added that Acuña and Pérez made good use of it.
Weiss said Acuña’s athletic gifts can make an adjustment show up far faster than it might for most hitters. “You could see it right away,” the manager said. “He has extraordinary talent, and he is fun to watch when he gets rolling.”
That roll had been hard to find for much of the year. Acuña was also working through the mental and physical task of trusting both knees after ACL surgeries: his right knee was repaired following a 2021 tear, and his left knee required surgery after a 2024 tear.
The wider base and the fastball answer
On Opening Day through April, Acuña stood 31.3 inches deep in the batter’s box, 25.3 inches from the plate, with 31.6 inches between his feet and a stance opened 34 degrees. That look had appeared during Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic, but it did not click in games. Before his May 2 hamstring injury, he had two homers and a .740 OPS across 34 contests.
When he returned, Acuña brought the stance to 20 degrees open and widened his base to 33.5 inches. A second hamstring strain sent him back to the injured list on June 10. His July 27 return featured another tweak: 30 inches deep in the box, 25.3 inches off the plate, a 34.4-inch base and a 14-degree open angle. Over his first 28 games back, though, he hit .188 with six homers and a .614 OPS.
Since Aug. 28, Acuña’s box alignment has been 29 inches deep, 27.4 inches from the plate, 36.4 inches between the feet and 12 degrees open. It is close to his MVP-season posture, when his measurements were 28.8 inches deep, 27.9 inches from the plate, 34.5 inches between the feet and 12 degrees open.
| Split | Batting average | Home runs | OPS | Barrel rate | Whiff rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before Aug. 28 | .228 season average through 81 games | 13 | .732 | 12.1% | 30.1% |
| Since Aug. 28 | .368 | 7 | 1.107 | 15.5% | 26.5% |
The most noticeable change has come against fastballs. Before the adjustment, Acuña went 12-for-101 (.119) against four-seamers, with a 32.4% whiff rate. Against four-seam fastballs at 95 mph or harder, he was 7-for-59 (.119) and missed on 31.8% of his swings.
Since the reset, he is 15-for-32 (.469) against four-seamers, while his whiff rate on that pitch has fallen to 27.2%. Against four-seamers of at least 95 mph, he has gone 8-for-14 (.571). His whiff rate in that harder-throwing subset is 34.3%.
Acuña has hit a home run every 12.4 at-bats during the surge, the kind of production the Braves hoped would return once he found a comfortable base and regained faith in his body. “I finally have my timing,” Acuña said. “I’m enjoying being out there.”
Second baseman Ozzie Albies knows what the Braves can have when Acuña is healthy and locked in. Albies said that when his teammate catches one of these streaks, “he is among the best players in baseball.”
