Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. Fights Tears in Reaction to New Injury: 'I'm Worried'

When Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. pulled up lame on a foul ball during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, Braves fans naturally feared the worse.

Acuña's reaction to the injury after the game did nothing to dispel those concerns. If anything, the right fielder only added to them.

"Of course. It's an injury. I'm worried," Acuña said, via 92.9 The Game's Grant McAuley, through a team translator when asked if he's concerned about a tear.

Acuña left Tuesday's game just after clearly limping while attempting to run after a couple fly balls in the sixth inning. The Braves quickly placed the right fielder on the 10-day injured list with right Achilles tightness.

Acuña told reporters that he didn't feel 100% before Tuesday's game and that his right leg progressively became a bigger problem throughout the night.

"It happened when I scored from first to home on that play. They're going to examine me tomorrow, and we'll see how it goes," said Acuña through a translator.

"I think it definitely got worse today. I told them yesterday, and everyone said, 'Hey, take the day if you want it. You can have the day off.' But I've just missed so much time already through injuries, I don't want to miss anymore time."

Acuña avoided directly answering whether or not he felt any "pop" in his leg. But the right fielder, who was trying not to cry throughout his answers, revealed he was in quite a bit of pain.

"I feel it a lot when I try to put pressure on it.

"It was hurting even more," Acuña said of his leg after the foul ball in the sixth inning. "I was kind of out there and hoping they wouldn't hit it my way. Of course, anytime you do that, they always hit it your way."

I absolutely hate the idea of this guy missing more time. On top of the talent and gifts that few in the game possess, he works extremely hard and plays with his heart on his sleeve.

Ronald Acuña Jr. will find out more when he undergoes imaging. pic.twitter.com/3pkIVLyFp8
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) July 30, 2025

Acuña missed the first 49 games of the 2025 MLB season because of his recovery from a left ACL tear. He sustained that injury on May 26, 2024. Acuña also tore his right ACL during the 2021 season.

The right fielder experienced an uncharacteristic slow start to the 2024 season before his injury. But he won the National League MVP in 2023 with baseball's first 40-homer, 70-stolen base season.

In 2025, Acuña is again proving to be one of the best and most exciting players throughout baseball. He wowed fans with a home run on the first pitch he saw upon his return from injury. He has also impressed in the field with incredible throws to nail runners at third base.

At the plate, Acuña is slashing .309/.430/.582 with 14 home runs, 26 RBI, 48 runs and four steals. His 1.012 OPS matches the OPS he had during his MVP 2023 campaign.

The 2025 season is going to be a lost year for the Braves. But the organization now has to hope Acuña's injury isn't serious and won't impact him next year.