Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna was a late scratch Sunday as a precaution with left wrist irritation. Acuna was originally hitting leadoff and manning center field against the Red Sox in the regular season finale.
Acuna missed 11 games last month with left-wrist inflammation. The Braves don’t play again until Wednesday, when they’ll open the postseason by hosting the Reds in a best-of-three wild-card round at Truist Park.
“That wrist thing was just biting a little bit,” manager Brian Snitker said after the game, which the Braves lost 9-1. “It wasn’t bad, he wanted to play. He just said it was a little sore and there’s no reason for him to play. He can get treatment today, tomorrow and the next day and be ready to go.”
Recently recovering from a slump, Acuna has hit .265 with three homers, four doubles and seven RBIs in his past nine games, though he went 0-for-4 Saturday. He finishes the 2020 regular season hitting .250/.406/.581 with 14 homers, 29 RBIs, 46 runs scored and eight stolen bases.
The Braves have dealt with a couple of small injuries in recently. Ace Max Fried left his last outing early after tweaking his ankle, but the Braves expect him to be ready for Game 1 of the wild-card round. Third baseman Austin Riley has missed four of five games with quadriceps discomfort. He’s likewise expected to be ready for the postseason.
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