Ronald Acuna Jr. Back On The Field Playing Baseball Tuesday Night

The Atlanta Braves have confirmed that superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. will be back in a uniform playing baseball Tuesday night. For now, that will be with the Gwinnett Stripers in Triple-A. 

Ronald Acuña Jr. will play in Triple-A tonight for the Gwinnett Stripers in his first rehab assignment since tearing his ACL last July, the team announced.

The Braves are targeting early May for his Major League return. pic.twitter.com/Omz4fOLQU9

— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) April 19, 2022

The Braves have tentatively set a May 6th target for Acuna's return to the big league lineup. That date marks the start of an 8-game homestand. The goal is to build up his innings in the outfield over the next couple of weeks, splitting between the OF and DH. 

Acuna has been out since last July after tearing his ACL. He missed the entire Braves World Series run in 2021. It's been a difficult, painful, emotional ride for him to come back from this injury, as he recently told ESPN's Marly Rivera. 

"When I was rehabbing in Los Angeles, there was a time when I told my dad and mom that I did not want to play anymore because I've never felt that type of pain before. I couldn't stand the pain."

He got past the doubts by thinking about his one-year-old son and his family. "I would think of my family all the time. 'We have to move forward. Everything will be OK.'"

And about missing that World Series run? Acuna Jr. expects to be a participating member in another one this year. "One of my biggest motivations is to return to the World Series. I lived it, but I didn't experience it on the field."

All Braves fans are hoping to experience that with him in 2022. 

Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports