WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 11: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after fouling a pitch off his foot in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 11, 2020 in Washington, DC. Acuna Jr. would leave the game due to the injury. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. had to be helped off the field after hitting a foul ball off his ankle.
What happens when a high-speed pitch ricochets off your bat and onto your ankle? Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves just found out.
It’s not good.
The outfielder had to be helped off the field during Friday night’s game against the Nationals with what appears to be a serious injury after the scary sequence.
As you can tell from the video, Acuna Jr. swung at a pitch, fouling the ball straight into his left ankle. The brace on his ankle may have limited some of the damage, but clearly not enough. He went down in immediate pain and was attended to trainers before limping off the field.
He wasn’t able to put any weight on the left leg on his way out.
UPDATE
No fracture was detected, which is great news for the Braves. He’ll be day-to-day.
Losing Ronald Acuña Jr. is a major blow for the Braves.
All the Braves can hope for now is that the injury is less significant than it looked on Friday night.
In the immediate term, they’ll have to find a way to overcome a three-run deficit to Washington without Acuña Jr.
In the long term, the injury could make things interesting in the NL East as the final stretch of the regular season approaches.
Atlanta leads the division with a three-game lead on Philadelphia. The Marlins are 3.5 games back.
The Braves will probably be fine as far as holding onto their lead atop the division. Surviving the playoffs without Acuña Jr. is a whole other issue.
Acuña Jr. is putting up career numbers in 2020. The third-year player has a .286 batting average with 11 home runs and 22 RBI in 134 plate appearances.
He recently became the fifth player in major league history with more than 75 home runs and 55 stolen bases before the age of 23.