Braves Acuña Ranked a Top Right Fielder Despite Injured Season

The 2023 MVP drops a bit in the rankings but continues to stick around the top 10 like he has each years

Even an injury can't keep Acuña out of the top RF list | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves star right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. continues to be recognized as one of the best in the game coming off an injury. MLB Network released its annual top 10 players based on "The Shedder" and ranked Acuña at seventh.

The 2025 top-10 right fielders is ranked as follows:

1. Aaron Judge (Yankees)
2. Kyle Tucker (Cubs)
3. Juan Soto (Mets)
4. Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres)
5. Seiya Suzuki (Cubs)
6. Corbin Carrol (Diamondbacks)
7. Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves)
8. Kerry Carpenter (Tigers)
9. Matt Wallner (Twins)
10. Teoscar Hernández (Dodgers)

While he sticks around the top 10, the Braves star saw a significant dip in the rankings. Heading into 2024, he was ranked as the No. 1 right fielder in the game. He was ranked fifth in 2023, so there is a tendancy to see some flexuation.

A key difference as well is the addition to Aaron Judge to the list. He was ranked as a center fielder for 2024 but since he's expected to move back to right field, he's been switched over in the rankings.

According to MLB Network, Acuña has ranked in the top 10 by The Shedder every year since 2019. So, he has the precedent of remaining a top player at his position after being sidelined by a major injury.

Should he come back and play like he did during his 2023 MVP-winning season, he'll likely jump back up for 2026. Leapfrogging Judge will be tough - both figuratively and lietarlly since the man is 6-foot-7. But surging back to be a top-3 player at his position is more than realistic.

Before suffering a torn ACL at the end of May last season, Acuña slashed .250/.351/.356 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. He barely got the chance to get going in the follow to his 40-home-run, 70-stolen-base season.

Perhaps those slumping numbers were a sign something was coming. He's expected to have a full Spring Training but won't be back to start the regular season out of precaution. Assuming he returns fully healthy, Acuña will being the big bat back into the Braves lineup they were lacking in his absnese last season.

Along with his MVP, Acuña is a four-time All-Star, three-time silver slugger and the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year and finished fifth in MVP voting in 2019.