Emotional Acu?a grapples with 2nd ACL rehab, understanding the road ahead
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ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr. will undergo surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left knee on Tuesday, he said while addressing his season-ending injury for the first time Thursday at Truist Park. Dr. Neil ElAttrache will perform the operation in Los Angeles.
¡°Sometimes these things are blessings in disguise,¡± Acu?a said through interpreter Franco Garc¨ªa. ¡°Sometimes you gotta lose yourself to find yourself, and I think that's how I'm trying to approach this thing. I just want to take everything in stride and who knows, maybe I can come back and win another MVP.¡±
Acu?a called the extensive outpouring of support in the wake of his injury ¡°overwhelming. ... That¡¯s what finds me crying at home by myself, because I feel like I¡¯m the one abandoning the team.¡±
¡°It feels like I'm the one letting everyone down,¡± he said. ¡°But there's nothing I can do. Just continue to work hard to heal.¡±
On that front, Acu?a said he will remain in Los Angeles for ¡°a month or a month and a half¡± post-op to begin his rehab before rejoining the Braves. There is no real timetable for his return after that, other than that he and the Braves know he won¡¯t return in 2024.
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In 2021, when Acu?a Jr. had the same injury to his other knee, it took a little more than nine months for him to return to the field. But he really wasn¡¯t fully healthy again until 2023, when he won National League MVP honors with a historic season.
Given that timeline, it¡¯s possible to envision Acu?a playing by Spring Training 2025 at some point, and maybe even ready by Opening Day. But he¡¯s not thinking that far ahead yet. Acu?a stopped short of putting a timeline on his return Thursday, saying the biggest lesson he learned from his first ACL rehab was ¡°patience.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be ready when the team says I¡¯m ready,¡± he said. ¡°I'm just hopeful that the surgery goes well, the rehab goes well, and everything goes according to plan.¡±
Acu?a said his injury has been easier to process this time around because he knows what to expect having gone through it only three years ago. But still, he knows he¡¯s in for a grueling next six months or so, both physically and mentally. He said his ¡°goal is to come back as a better player and a better person.¡±
¡°He does know what he¡¯s in for,¡± said manager Brian Snitker. ¡°That¡¯s good and bad. I feel worse for him than I do for us, because the kid loves to play baseball. It¡¯s a lot of work to get back when you go through an injury like that. It takes a lot of work, dedication, determination and mental strength in order to come through that. He¡¯s done it before, and he¡¯ll do it again. He¡¯s young and strong and this will be just a little blip in a really great career.¡±
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Acu?a emphasized how much he¡¯ll lean on his family during this difficult time, including his young sons, Ronald and Jamal.
¡°My family has been a big difference-maker. Them there every single day -- your mom, your parents, your kids -- I think has been just the real sort of key,¡± Acu?a said. ¡°The other day, when I was at home, I found myself crying, and I looked over and [my kids] are laughing. They don't know any different. They¡¯re kids. But just being able to see them laugh like that, and just have family around, it's what you¡¯re doing it for, and it helps you get through it.¡±
Said Snitker: ¡°I¡¯ve seen the kid mature into an adult, a father. He came at such a young age. But he¡¯s matured as a ballplayer, a person, a father, the whole thing. I see him in the hallways with his kids, and it¡¯s really cool, because he looks like a really nice dad. He really enjoys his family. That¡¯ll be a big strength for him getting through this."