Ronald Acuna Jr. Activated By Braves Earlier Than Expected

The moment has arrived for Atlanta Braves fans. Ronald Acuna Jr. will be activated for tonight's game, more than a week ahead of schedule. He's been tearing it up on his Triple-A rehab, and the Braves just lost Eddie Rosario for a significant period, creating an urgent need.

#Braves said they would be flexible with Acuña activation and move up it up or back depending on how he felt. That, plus the obvious need, led to decision to activate him for tonight's game instead of waiting any longer.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 28, 2022

The 24-year-old Braves superstar has been on rehab at Triple-A Gwinnett for a week, by DH'ing and building up his innings in the outfield game-by-game; he batted .368 in the process.

In six rehab games at Triple-A Gwinnett, Acuña was 7-for-19 (.368) with a double, .520 OBP .421 slugging percentage, .941 OPS, three stolen bases (in three attempts), six walks, six strikeouts.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 28, 2022

The Braves had set a tentative target date of May 6th, the start of a long homestand, for his return, but the recent loss of Rosario due to eye surgery pushed up the need to get Acuna back, as long as he looked ready.

He's expected back in the lineup Thursday night, playing center field against the Chicago Cubs.

Acuna has been out since last July after tearing his ACL.