Alden Gonzalezmar 14, 2025, 07:00 at
CloseESPN baseball reporter. It covered ESPN’s LA Rams from 2016 to 2018 and LA Angels from 2012 to 2016 on MLB.com.
Northport, Fla. — On the afternoon of May 26th, Ronald Ackna Jr. met with medical staff for the Atlanta Braves and shed tears when he was told he had suffered a complete ACL tear in his left knee. However, by the time his Venezuela-based trainer Juan Aurra heard from him later that night, Aknya had been composed. He was comforted by accepting his destiny and knowing exactly what to expect, and was convinced that a better version of himself was waiting on the other side. “We’ll do this one more time,” Ackna told Aular, the man who led the ACL torn in his right knee within three years. “I’m planning on getting the MVP again.”
Aular said: “I got goosebumps.”
Acuña first tore the ACL in 2021, so when Aular saw a clip of him crumbling to the ground in Pittsburgh last year, he worried that another painstaking rehabilitation idea might crush the player. That first call provided encouragement. And when they began training together again this winter, Aular noticed an Acuña that was very different from the last rehabilitation. He was more mature and more focused, but he was working on his identity like never before. Acuña initially declared that he would no longer steal the base, and Aular spent most of the ten weeks making him convinced he didn’t need to take it that far.
They worked not only to stabilize and change direction, but also to shape their way of thinking. It is not necessary to change his theatrical style, Aular repeatedly told Acuña. Reducing his strength level may actually be dangerous. He simply had to choose his spot. A first ACL tear occurred as Acuña sprinted towards the warning track and tried to jump near the fence. But the second resulted in unnecessarily forcing the action, attempting to steal 3 bases in the first inning of the preseason game, changing direction and retreating second to try to hurt himself.
“He needs to learn how to deal with the situation in the game,” Aular said in Spanish. “That’s the key to Ronald.”
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The 27-year-old Acuña played seven seasons in the major leagues, and two of them were perfectly healthy. In his first 2019 he hit 41 homers, stole 37 bases, posted .883 OPS, finishing fifth in the 21-year-old National League MVP poll. The second in 2023 was a unanimous choice for the MVP, bringing together the first 40/70 season in major league history.
Acuña has looked like the best and most moving player in the sport since that year, perhaps outside of Shohei Ohtani, but nothing seems to make him come out of the second major knee manipulation. Acuña believes that health and more seasonings will make him a “even better player than 2023.” He also strives to be a little different.
“I want to steal a 30 and play the entire season, rather than trying to steal a 70, injure myself, and get myself missing all year round,” Ackna said in Spanish.
However, finding the right balance between aggression and control can often be difficult for players, and Acuña’s attempts seem particularly sensitive. The Braves want most is to make him healthy, but they also know that his best versions play with hints of reckless abandonment. They don’t want to lose Akina, but they don’t want him to lose himself.
They hope that time will help.
The Braves have not announced a return date for Acuña, but if everything goes well, they are expected to rejoin the lineup at some point in May. By then, his rehabilitation lasted about 12 months, more than two months than the last time. His return is not accompanied by artificial restraints. In contrast to spending a rest day with a designated batsman, he plays the correct field’s customary position and maintains a green light on the base. Limitations are self-imposed.
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“When he comes back, he’s going to go for it all and make sure he’s going to become himself and play the games he plays,” said Braves general manager Alex Ansopoulos. “He’s very competitive, he’s an incredible base steeler and we’re not going to get any restrictions on him at all.”
Anthopoulos has never heard of it from Acuña himself, but he has heard about Acuña’s desire to be more cautious at the base.
His response: “When I see it, I believe it.
“And I don’t mean that in a bad way,” Ansoporus added. “He’s a very good base stolen. From a medical point of view, if he’s clear and well, I think he’ll find a sweet spot that makes sense to him. But I don’t think we’d have said anything specifically to him.
When Ansoporus returned from nine and a half months of rehabilitation in 2022, he found that Aknya was more “anxious and tentative” in the outfield. There was fear of repeated incidents, but Aknya also hadn’t spent enough time strengthening his lower half. It took intermittent rest days to combat the ongoing discomfort. Acuña didn’t feel like he had a strong enough base, and while he was caught stealing NL-Worst 11 times in the 119 games, .764 OPS and 15 Homer showed it.
That’s not the case this time.
Aular said: “He’s much stronger now.”
Acuña navigated most of June, July, August and September through the early stages of rehabilitation at Elite Orthosport, a Los Angeles-based training facility recommended by his surgeon, Dr. Neal Elattrache. Aular then trained Aknya in her hometown of Rasavanna from mid-November to the end of January. Braves’ training staff sent out detailed plans, and the two continued six days a week in a five-hour session, leaving only on Christmas Day and Great Year Day.
By January, Acuña said she was beginning to feel like she was once again. As spring training began, he constantly captivated his teammates with incredible home runs during batting practice. Sometimes it seemed he hadn’t left.
“He looks like he is,” said Fielder Michael Harris II of Braves Center. “I’m still having fun, I’m still gooball and I’m hitting the ball on the scoreboard.”
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Acuña is a naturally talented runner, starring in her early teens as a 400-meter sprinter. When he rose through the Braves system, he won 82 stolen bases in 265 minor league matches. He followed with 196 steel in the majors from 2018 to 2024. Stealing the base has always been a major part of Acuña’s identity. It doesn’t seem certain that he will give up even a little bit of the picture book.
“I don’t think he’ll give up on that,” Braves baseman Matt Olson said with a laugh. “It’s him. Yeah, you can choose when you run, but once he’s back there, he steps underneath him, plays speed and he’ll become the same ol ‘Ronald.”
The Braves only managed to sneak into the playoffs last season, winning 89 games with six consecutive division titles snapped. The New York Mets then added Juan Soto and the Philadelphia Phillies continue to be strong, but the Braves will regain their two best players. After only starting two starts last spring, Spencer Strider succumbed to elbow surgery and will return to the top of the spinning by the end of April. Acuña will soon return to the top of the lineup.
Acuña will not play in Grapefruitreug games, but he has been hit against the Braves pitchers to hone his timing. Soon, he is cleared to cut the drill. Rehabilitation assignments will soon follow. The reality of playing real baseball games again has really freed his spirit.
“When that happens, you value things more,” Braves manager Brian Snittker said. “You realize how blessed you are to have this opportunity to play this game.”
When asked what he had learned he had gone through this process before, Ackna said, “Patience. I’m not worried.”
He hopes he gets better for it.
“I know the type of player that can,” Ackna said. “I still don’t feel like I’m my Prime Prime. The most important thing is health.”
