No Ronald Acuña Jr. at DH For Now, What It Means for Braves

Ronald Acuña Jr. put on a defensive show in the Atlanta Braves' 2-1 comeback win against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.

In the top of the eighth with no one on with one out, TJ Rumfield belted a fly ball to right center field, and he ran it down to snag the out as he crashed against the wall.

¡Ronald Acuña Jr. siempre está en control de los jardines! pic.twitter.com/7hGTkxg88c
— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) August 29, 2026

The speed was on full display, as he looked to be at his healthy, peak form.

"It's good to see him moving like that," manager Walt Weis said of Acuña's defense after the game. "I think he's the best I've seen the last two day, moving on defense in a long time."

Like with the previous two seasons, Acuña has battled injury after injury. This season, he's been dealt two injuries to his left hamstring. It's limited his ability to run the basepaths and even play his usual position in the outfield.

Recently, Weiss has been more cautious, giving him more time at the designated hitter spot. They can still get his bat in the lineup while still being mindful of his health. However, this could start to change.

“The way he’s moving right now, I don’t see any DH for him in the near future," Weiss said with a smile when asked the right fielder's rotation between the field and the designated hitter spot.

At this point, it's clear there is a level of confidence Acuña's ability to stay healthy. It doesn't mean that he won't be back in the position at this season, but they can let him ride for a time.

Eventually, there needs to be more trust that Acuña has a solid barometer for when to turn on the jets. On top of that, getting him out in the field more means not just the use of his legs but the use of his cannon for an arm. All tools can be put to use.

Outside of Acuña, there is also more flexibilty for the Braves as they set the lineup. The DH spot opening back up will allow Weiss to do what he does best and manage matchups for each game.

With Mauricio Dubón manning shortstop, the Braves have the opportunity to get certain outfield bats into the game more frequently. When facing right-handers for example, they can utilize a combination of Mike Yastrzemski, Lane Thomas and Brewer Hicklen.

Thomas specifically was brought in to face left-handers. However, Weiss is looking to use him more as an everyday player when possible, opening the door to face right-handers more often.

It also opens the opportunity to utilize Sean Murphy's defense behind the dish without losing Drake Baldwin's bat from the lineup. It's domino effect that will go a long way to putting the best version of the team day in and day out.

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