Ronald Acuña homered in his return to the Braves’ lineup Wednesday, but he reiterated afterward that his surgically addressed knee isn’t feeling well.
After a three-game absence due to right-knee soreness, Acuña led off as the designated hitter in the Braves’ 3-2 victory over the Rockies. He went 1-for-4 with a towering home run to center that traveled 444 feet with a 111-mph exit velocity.
After the game, Acuña said his knee felt “terrible,” adding: “But we’re going to play through it until the season is over.” (As translated by team interpreter Franco Garcia.)
Acuña, who tore his ACL 13 months ago, has dealt with nagging injuries throughout the season, and the Braves have managed him accordingly. Asked if he thought the DH benefits him, given he doesn’t have to play the outfield in that role, Acuña said: “I can’t give you an exact answer because at the end of the day, I still feel like I’m running hard.”
Manager Brian Snitker has also acknowledged the knee soreness is something Acuña will deal with for the rest of the season.
“It’s sore, but like we’ve talked about many times, it’s something he has to deal with until we get through the year,” Snitker said before Wednesday’s game.
Snitker didn’t say whether Acuña will play in Thursday’s series finale following Wednesday’s contest. “We’ll check him out (Thursday) and see what we have for him,” Snitker said.
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