Ronald Acuña Jr. was hit by a pitch twice on Monday night, but fortunately, X-rays on his left hand came back negative. The Atlanta Braves star is listed as day to day.
What happened?
Ronald Acuña Jr. was struck by a 92 mph fastball in the fourth inning and again by a 91 mph fastball in the sixth, this time on the left hand. He yelled in pain after the second hit.
The incident occurred during the Braves' game against the Washington Nationals. Ronald Acuña Jr. was in the on-deck circle when the sixth inning ended but did not return to the field.
Injury update
Braves manager Walt Weiss confirmed that the X-ray results were negative, and Ronald Acuña Jr. is expected to be fine. Weiss said, "Ronnie is OK. X-rays were negative. He's going to be fine."
The Braves announced the negative X-ray results two innings after the incident. Weiss added that there were no plans for an MRI exam.
Reaction from teammates
First baseman Matt Olson said, "You don't want to get hit in the hand or the elbow. You take something in the back or the leg, it's easy to shake off. But there are a lot of little bones in the hand."
Starter Bryce Elder added, "You worry about getting hit in the hand, especially with the bat there. It doesn't take much to fracture something there. So, hearing it was negative was good."
The Braves won the game 9-4, improving to 16-7 on the season. Ronald Acuña Jr. had been finding his form heading into the incident, posting a .290 batting average and .840 OPS over the two weeks prior.
On Monday, the Braves tied the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball. The team has now won six straight games.
Olson carried the offense, launching a game-tying homer off Nationals starter Jake Irvin in the fourth. He finished with three RBIs and now has six home runs on the season.
Reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin added a two-run double in Atlanta's decisive five-run sixth inning. Michael Harris II went 11-for-26 with three homers over his last eight games entering Monday.
The Braves' win was a collective effort, with several players contributing to the team's success. The injury scare did nothing to slow down the NL East-leading Braves.
Ronald Acuña Jr.'s status will be closely monitored in the coming days. For now, the Braves can breathe a sigh of relief that their star player is expected to be okay.
The team's next game is scheduled for Tuesday, and it will be interesting to see if Ronald Acuña Jr. is back in the lineup. The Braves will look to continue their winning streak and maintain their lead in the NL East.