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Ronald Acuna Jr. Returns on Friday After Injuring his Thumb
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (thumb) departed Thursday's series finale against the Miami Marlins with a left-thumb bone bruise, but he's back in right field and is batting leadoff for Atlanta in Friday's series opener against the division-rival Washington Nationals and left-handed opener Richard Lovelady, according to MLB.com. Thankfully, X-rays came back negative on Acuna, who recently returned from a stint on the injured list due to a hamstring strain. It's great news for the Braves and fantasy managers, and he should be returned to all starting lineups in traditional fantasy formats. Acuna's surface stats don't look great so far in 2026, but in five games since returning from the IL, he's riding a five-game hitting streak and has gone 7-for-17 (.412) with a double, two RBI, seven runs scored, and a stolen base across 20 plate appearances. Overall, the former MVP and five-time All-Star is slashing only .261/.370/.384 with two homers, 11 RBI, seven steals, and 22 runs scored. Acuna is a five-category contributor and could just be starting to heat up.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
