Ronald Acuna Injury Update: When Will OF Return to Braves?

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with a calf injury on July 29. The Braves placed their star slugger on the IL a day later. Braves fans and fantasy baseball owners are now asking when Acuna will be back and return to the field. Here, we will deliver an Acuna injury update and dish out an expected return date for the Braves superstar.

🚑 When will Ronald Acuna Jr. return and be back with Braves?

Acuna and the Braves dodged something of a bullet against the Kansas City Royals on July 29. It was initially feared that Acuna may have severely injured his Achilles, which could have sidelined him for at least the rest of the season. 

An MRI, however, revealed that Acuna simply suffered a Grade 1 calf strain. 

“Those calf muscles are funny, too,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “That’s a big muscle for speed guys. Hopefully, they get him treated up and we get him back sooner than later.”

A Grade 1 calf strain typically only takes 2-3 weeks to recover from. However, based on Acuna’s injury history and the fact that it would take something of a miracle for the Braves to climb back into the National League playoff picture, expect Acuna’s recovery timeline to be on the longer side.

Here is a look at Atlanta’s schedule around the time that Acuna is expected to return. The Braves’ game on Tuesday, Aug. 19, against the Chicago White Sox at Truist Park will be exactly three weeks from when Acuna sustained the injury.

• Tuesday, August 19: Chicago White Sox at Atlanta Braves
• Wednesday, August 20: Chicago White Sox at Atlanta Braves
• Friday, August 22: New York Mets at Atlanta Braves
• Saturday, August 23: New York Mets at Atlanta Braves
• Sunday, August 24: New York Mets at Atlanta Braves
• Monday, August 25: Atlanta Braves at Miami Marlins

⏳ How long will Ronald Acuna Jr. be out for?

Acuna has already been out of the Braves lineup for nearly a week. Expect him to be out for at least two more weeks.

A decent and recent MLB player comp centers around White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Benintendi suffered a mild calf strain in May and missed 19 days.

That is around the amount of time that Acuna is expected to be out.

💰 Braves betting odds

To say the Braves have not lived up to expectations this season would be a grand understatement. Atlanta opened the season with +800 World Series odds. Only the LA Dodgers had shorter odds to win the Commissioner’s Trophy at that time. 

You can still bet on individual Braves games, however, and all of the Major League Baseball action each night. There are awesome MLB player props every day throughout the season. You can bet on players to hit home runs, and at select books you can even bet on the velocity of a player’s pitch.