An Atlanta Braves radio announcer called out Ronald Acuña Jr. for a ‘lazy’ play in Game 4 of the NLDS, saying it was awful to watch.
An Atlanta Braves radio announcer destroyed Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. for a ‘lazy’ play in Game 4 of the NLDS.
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto hit an inside-the-park home run that Acuña ran for but failed to jump for, and the announcer clearly wasn’t fond of it.
Joe Simpson stated, “It was an absolutely horrible play. Lazy play on the part of Ronald Acuna Jr. He was a spectator. He never even moved. He never even made a move toward right centerfield. The ball came off the wall toward right center, and THEN he started that way. It was absolutely awful watching Ronald Acuna Jr. watch that play.”
He also called Acuña a ‘spectator.’ Acuña has faced several injuries this season and has stated before that he’s playing through a lot of pain, so his injuries likely contributed to his unfavorable approach.
Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. has played through several injuries this season
Acuña has had six injuries this season. In April, he faced a knee injury. In May, he had both a groin and a quad injury. In June, he had a knee and a foot injury. In August, it was his lower body and his knee. In late September, he had a back injury. It’s been one problem after another, and he hasn’t been performing as well as he has in the past.
Though there’s no confirmation that his decreased performance is due to his injuries, it’d be completely unsurprising. He also sat out the second half of the 2021 season with an ACL tear, and it’s possible his injuries are tied to that as well.
Overall, he’s physically out of commission. Though his results aren’t favorable, it’s likely not so much a result of laziness, but a result of injury.
After the play, Eric Young Jr. spoke with the entire Braves outfield to clear up exactly what went wrong. Mistakes do happen, but the lack of awareness on Acuña’s part has to be concerning, especially considering it was in such a big moment.