Ronald Acuña Jr. returned to the Atlanta Braves starting lineup on July 27, 2026, after missing 27 games with a strained hamstring. He has played in all 13 games since returning and has been in his usual right-field position in 11 of them.

Lack of Effort and Defensive Liability in Right Field

During the games that he has been playing right field for the Atlanta Braves, Ronald Acuña Jr. has shown less than maximum effort when playing the field. On August 7 2026, Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias was facing George Lombard Jr in the bottom of the ninth inning versus the New York Yankees. Lombard Jr hit a weak ground ball to Raisel Iglesias. Unfortunately, Raisel Iglesias made an inaccurate throw to first base, causing the ball to go toward foul territory in right field.

Ronald Acuña Jr. decided to jog towards the ball instead of giving maximum effort. Consequently, George went all the way to third base. A lack of effort is nothing new from Ronald, as he has been an awful right fielder statistically since debuting in 2017. Acuña Jr. has accumulated (-27) outs above average and (-25) runs prevented.

However, the primary difference between now and previous seasons is that Ronald hasn’t been putting up the same type of offensive statistics due to injury. As a result, Ronald Acuña Jr. has averaged 70 games per season since 2024 due to several injuries. 

Mounting Injuries are Eroding Acuña’s Offensive Output

For example, on May 26 2024, he tore his left ACL in the top of the first inning trying to steal third base against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The injury sidelined him for the remainder of the 2024 season, which meant he only played 49 games. It also forced him to the first 49 games of the 2025 season, as he debuted on May 23, 2025. 

After that, he was healthy for 56 games before suffering a left calf strain, which kept him out another 16 games. These two injuries contributed to him only playing 95 games in 2025. This season, the injuries continued as he suffered a left hamstring strain running to first base on June 9 versus the Colorado Rockies. The hamstring strain forced him to miss 27 games.

All of these injuries have contributed to him hitting .266 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI per season. He also had on-base and slugging percentages of .383 and .457, respectively.

These statistics are a 57% decline from the six prior seasons. He hit .292 with an average of 27 home runs and 67 RBI from 2018 to 2023 in 112 games per season . He also had an on-base and slugging percentage of .381 and .537, respectively.

Because of the decline in production, his offensive statistics no longer outweigh the negative effects of his defense. Consequently, the amount of special treatment that the Atlanta Braves give him should begin to reduce. One way the special treatment could begin to reduce is by forcing him to become the team’s permanent designated hitter.

What If Acuña Pushes Back? Atlanta’s Future Options

If Ronald Acuña Jr. were to get annoyed by this potential decision from the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta has three options:

1. Atlanta could pick up the club option on his contract for 2027 and 2028 at $17 million per season. Once they pick up the option, they could make him the designated hitter for both seasons and let him be disgruntled.

2. Atlanta could pick up both options and put him on the trade market to see if any team is interested in trading for his services. Several teams would be interested, given his option is at such a reasonable price, like the New York Yankees or Seattle Mariners.

3. Atlanta to decline both options and allow him to become a free agent after this season.

You may be asking who would replace Ronald in the outfield. Well, the answer is Mauricio Dubón would get a permanent spot in the starting lineup. Dubón has been an above-average defensive outfielder during his career. He has accumulated 14 outs above average and 12 runs prevented.