Braves Ronald Acuña Makes MLB History In Win Over Reds

CINCINNATI – Ronald Acuña Jr. is no stranger to flirting with history. The Atlanta Braves' right fielder has regularly found himself in the mix with things that no player before him has ever accomplished. On a Saturday night in Cincinnati, the star player did it again.

The Braves’ 5-2 topped the Reds, their 40th win of the season, improving them to 16-2-1 in their 19 series this season. Acuña drove the train in this one.

After a slow start to the regular season and a subsequent hamstring injury that landed him on the injured list, Saturday night was a reminder of what Acuña is capable of. The right fielder put together his first multi-home run game of the season, which was his third and fourth over the last three days.

According to OptaSTATS, Acuña is the only player in the history of the modern era to have a three-game span while accounting for four or more home runs, stolen bases, and walks.

In addition to that, according to Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game, he is just the 23rd player in MLB history to account for two home runs and two stolen bases in the same game. He is just the fourth Braves player to accomplish this feat, joining Chipper Jones (1999), Rafael Furcal (2005), and Ender Inciarte (2017).

#Braves RF Ronald Acuña Jr. just became the 23rd player since 1898 to hit 2 home runs and steal 2 bases in the same game per @baseball_ref.

He's the 4th Atlanta player to do so, joining Chipper Jones (1999), Rafael Furcal (2005), & Ender Inciarte (2017).pic.twitter.com/4E2fgYyMlA
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) May 31, 2026

“When he gets going, he’s one of those guys that almost makes the game look easy because there’s not a lot of effort, and big things happen,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said, according to Chad Bishop of the AJC. “We’ve all seen him when he’s going good. He’s one of the best that he is when he gets right. It’s good to see him really start to take off.”

His strong outing pushed his season totals to .246/.369/.419 with an OPS+ of 128, six home runs, 19 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and 26 runs over 45 games -- a slow start, but one that people quickly forget if his bat can keep rolling.

The Braves will go for the sweep on Sunday in Cincinnati, which would be their third of the season, and bookend their month of May with one. More importantly, it feels like their star is starting to find his rhythm.

Acuña felt destined for a breakout at some point this season, and that train is finally starting to pick up some steam.

Sign up for our Free Atlanta Braves Newsletter and follow us on Facebook for the latest news

Add us as a preferred source on Google