Ronald Acuna injury puts a damper on Atlanta Braves' rout of Red Sox
William Harris The 20-year-old Acuna, hailed as baseball's No. 1 prospect heading into the season, has reportedly undergone further testing on his ailing leg, knee and back.
The Atlanta Braves won the battle on Sunday afternoon, knocking off the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 7-1.
But it might have been a pyrrhic victory, depending on the injury status of rookie outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr.
Here's the story: With Atlanta up 6-1 in the seventh inning, Acuna landed awkwardly on his left leg after narrowly beating the throw on an infield single.
Upon reaching the bag, Acuna initially made a 'safe' motion to the first-base umpire. Within that process, however, the rookie prodigy rolled over on his left ankle and crumpled to the ground, writhing in agony.
#Braves manager Brian Snitker on Ronald Acuña Jr. injury: "I just liked the fact that he walked off because when he did it I thought (of what) Bryce Harper did last year. It looked real similar."
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) May 27, 2018
A number of Braves coaches quickly rushed to Acuna's aid. Some stadium officials even brought out a wheelchair for the outfielder's disposal, but Acuna eventually got up and walked off the field on his own power.
Acuna was wearing a leg brace/shin guard at the time of the incident. It might have also helped him escape serious injury with the ankle.
On the team's Twitter account, the Braves revealed that Acuna exited with 'knee and lower back pain.' Two hours later, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reported Acuna had undergone medical testing at a Boston-area hospital.
The run-up time to the Acuna incident was extremely rosy for the Braves:
**Tyler Flowers crushed a three-run homer off Red Sox ace Chris Sale, with the ball leaving the entire park.
**Freddie Freeman's two-run double, struck to the deepest part of quirky Fenway (right-center field), put the exclamation point on Sale's surprisingly shaky outing (six runs allowed in 4 1/3 innings).
There was also a crafty headfirst slide from Acuna at home plate.
**Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz had electric stuff on a blustery day in Boston, surrendering just one run and three hits over seven strong outings. With the seven strikeouts, Foltynewicz extended his K-BB rate to 69/29 for the season.
**And with Atlanta's win and Philadelphia's loss, the Braves (30-21) regained control of the National League East lead—after spending just one day in second place.