Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. leaves loss to White Sox early with hamstring injury

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. left their 6-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox early on Tuesday night due to a hamstring injury.

Acuña, in the fourth inning of the contest at Rate Field in Chicago, hit a ground ball to Miguel Vargas at third and started running up the baseline. While Vargas managed to make the throw in time to get Acuña out, Acuña pulled up awkwardly just before he reached the bag. He started hopping, clearly in discomfort, into the outfield and ended up limping back to their dugout.

Acuña slammed his helmet hard before walking up into the clubhouse, too. The Braves then pulled him from the game due to left hamstring tightness. He was replaced by Eli White in the outfield the rest of the way.

Further specifics of the injury are not yet known. Acuña missed time on the injured list earlier this season with a left hamstring injury, too. He was diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain after trying to run out a ground ball on May 2, though he returned less than two weeks later.

Acuña has also dealt with multiple ACL injuries in his career. He tore his right ACL in 2021, and tore his left ACL in 2024. He was named the National League MVP between the injuries, however, picking up the honors in 2023 while hitting 41 home runs and stealing 73 bases that season.

The 28-year-old currently holds a .254 batting average with seven home runs and 22 RBIs this season, his ninth with the team. He is in the final year of an eight-year, $100 million deal with the team this summer, which includes two club options for the 2027 and 2028 campaigns.

The loss to the White Sox on Tuesday snapped a three-game winning streak for Atlanta, which now holds a 45-22 record on the season. The Braves still hold a significant lead in the NL East race, though an extended stretch without Acuña available would undoubtedly makes things more difficult for the franchise as it approaches the midway point of the season.

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