Braves Notes: Brian Snitker on Losing Ronald Acuña Jr, Upcoming Roster

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves return to Truist Park on Monday to begin a four-game series against the Washington Nationals. They will do so while having lost another key member for the remainder of the season: Ronald Acuña Jr. An MRI scan revealed Sunday that Acuña suffered a complete torn ACL in his left knee. He will miss the rest of the season. The task at hand for the Braves is to pick up the pieces and move forward.

“I feel worse for the child than for us. He has to relive that,” Brian Snitker said before Monday’s game. “It was kind of like he was starting to turn things around and start doing well. It’s just kind of a weird thing that happens. I feel like he needs to start this process again.

Acuña tore the ACL in his right knee in 2021 and missed the remainder of that season. He spoke about the difficulty of the rehab process and also dealt with lingering soreness upon his return to the lineup in 2022. He returned to form in 2023 and put together a record-breaking season, winning the NFL MVP award. National League unanimously. Acuña then twisted his right knee during spring training and missed a few weeks of exhibition games. When meaningful games began, he got off to a slow start.

“It’s terrible. There are few players in this league that are at his level,” Austin Riley said of Acuña. “It’s a joy to watch him every night and see that happen . You feel sorry for him because he’s such a talented player. I know he’s going to work hard to come back, but it’s really difficult to replace Ronald.

Although it’s difficult, that’s the task the Braves now face, starting with Monday’s game. Atlanta has already lost Spencer Strider to a season-ending elbow injury. The pitching staff helped absorb this blow with excellent performances from Chris Sale and Reynaldo López. The offense, which has struggled at times even with Acuña in the lineup, now needs to step up and try to replace his production.

Austin Riley and Sean Murphy return to the lineup

Even though the Braves lost Acuña, they get two key pieces back in their lineup for Monday’s game. Austin Riley is in the lineup and comes in at second after missing two weeks with left side soreness. Receiver Sean Murphy was reinstated from the injured list Monday after suffering an oblique muscle strain on Opening Day.

“I’m really excited. They’re both in good positions,” Snitker said of Riley and Murphy. “We feel really good about both of them, getting them in there. So obviously, especially after everything that’s going on, it’s nice to see them again.

“I’m just excited to be back, I feel good,” Riley said of his return. “It obviously took longer than I wanted.”

“I feel good, like I said, I feel a hundred percent,” Riley added. “In recent days, I turned off the machine, I saw the bike. I experienced mushrooms yesterday. I was moving around pretty well, running bases. I’m delighted to be there.

Murphy said the wait for his return was frustrating, but he was happy to be back.

“It’s frustrating, but there’s a lot of waiting, waiting for things to heal and hoping it goes faster,” Murphy said. “But there’s really nothing you can do to make what you want happen. Glad to be back.

Ozzie Albies leads Monday

Snitker put Ozzie Albies on leadoff in Monday’s game against Nationals left-hander Mitchell Parker. He said roster decisions will be somewhat of a day-to-day process for now.

“Just be an everyday thing.” I like him against a southpaw, obviously and I might stick with him,” Snitker said. “I don’t know. We’ll see how everyone else is, what it’s like on a daily basis.

The Braves will deploy an outfield featuring Jarred Kelenic in left, Michael Harris II in center and Adam Duvall in right. Snitker said the outfield is where he plans to use most of the time. Kelenic began the season in a platoon with Duvall in left field. Now he will have the opportunity to play every day, at least in the short term.

“Jarred will benefit from regular playing time. He’s going to be a left-handed (pitcher) at bat and he’s in a good position. I think he’s ready to take the next step,” Snitker said of Kelenic. “Adam, I feel really good about having him. Before he got injured last year, he was having a very good year. We were fortunate to be able to recruit him in the spring and bring him into the mix.

When the Braves acquired Kelenic in an offseason trade with the Mariners, they said they planned to give him at-bats every day in the field. That plan changed when Duvall became available in the spring, but is now back on the table with the hole caused by Acuña’s absence.

Chadwick Tromp remains on active roster for now

When the Braves reinstated Murphy on Monday, it was veteran infielder Joey Wendle who was the odd man out and, perhaps surprisingly, not catcher Chadwick Tromp. It could be a short-term decision, but Snitker said keeping Tromp would allow him to use Murphy or Travis d’Arnaud as a late-game pinch hitter.

“It allows me to use the extra receiver if we have to hit,” Snitker said of guarding Tromp. “That doesn’t mean I won’t hit for Jarred late in the game against a tough southpaw or anything like that.”

Having 13 position players gave the Braves the opportunity to not place Riley on the injured list for two weeks while he sorted out the problem on his end. The Braves have used the 26th roster spot sparingly over the past two seasons. Sticking Tromp there as a third receiver is kind of the same thing.