Phillies news and rumors 3/3: Will Ronald Acuña Jr. miss opening series?

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A historic 2023 season for Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Atlanta Braves came to a screeching halt in the NLDS, where the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies upset them in four games for the second consecutive season.

The Braves won’t have to wait long for an opportunity to start to avenge their postseason loss, as they’ll face the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park during the first series of the regular season. But whether the reigning NL MVP will be atop Atlanta’s lineup on March 28 is less clear.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache is slated to examine Acuña’s right knee Monday after an MRI on Friday revealed irritation around the four-time All-Star’s meniscus, according to The Athletic‘s David O’Brien. This is particularly noteworthy given that Acuña tore the ACL in his right knee in July of 2021, causing him to miss the team’s World Series run.

While O’Brien says that the Braves are “remain optimistic” their franchise player will be ready to take the field by Opening Day, manager Brian Snitker was pretty forthcoming about the uncertainty that currently surrounds the 26-year-old right fielder.

“Right now we’re trying to be optimistic,” Snitker said of Acuña. “Maybe (he’s out for) just a couple of weeks or whatever, just to calm everything down. But honestly, I don’t know until we get what the doctor out there says.”

Acuña is coming off of one of the great offensive seasons in modern history, as he slashed .337/.416/.596 with 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, 73 stolen bases and a 1.012 OPS in 2023. It’s not hyperbolic to say that Acuña’s first six seasons have put him on track to be one of the greatest outfielders in MLB history. But the long-term health of his right knee is worth monitoring, particularly given the explosive nature of his game.

The last time we saw of Acuña it appeared he had recorded a series-altering hit with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of NLDS Game 4 against Craig Kimbrel, only for Johan Rojas to make a tremendous catch that essentially put the series on ice.

Must-See Phillies Content

• Speaking of the Braves, Snitker had some interesting comments about the much-debated playoff format. Phillies Nation‘s Nathan Ackerman wrote extensively about those.

• One final note on the Braves — they’ll host the Phillies Sunday at 1:05 ET in Grapefruit League play at CoolToday Park in North Port.

• If you’re looking for some wholesome content, Nick Castellanos crushed a home run against the Minnesota Twins in Grapefruit League action Saturday. His son Liam was serving as the bat boy, and was so impressed by his dad’s home run that he forgot to retrieve the bat.

• Over on Just Baseball, I broke down the top 10 potential free agents next offseason, a list that includes Zack Wheeler.

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