Until last night, Ronald Acuña Jr. had not played in a Major League Baseball game for 362 days. Simultaneously, it had been nearly 600 days since he was considered one of the top players in the league. With Acuña's return to the Atlanta Braves, this first duration has been reset. His quest to reclaim his previous form is underway, and it commenced in spectacular fashion. On his very first pitch back, Acuña hit a 467-foot solo home run against the San Diego Padres. As the Braves look to navigate their season, they seek to determine if Acuña can maintain his offensive prowess. Following a rough start to the season, the team has rebounded somewhat but still holds a 24-26 record, placing them 5.5 games behind the New York Mets and 8.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. For the Braves to succeed, they need Acuña to regain the form that placed him among the elite players of 2023, a year in which he led the majors with a .416 on-base percentage and became a member of MLB's esteemed 40-70 club.

Acuña's career achievements at just 27 years old are remarkable. He is a former Rookie of the Year, an MVP, and a four-time All-Star, tallying 166 home runs and 196 stolen bases in his first 723 games—a feat unmatched in baseball history. However, his career has also experienced significant setbacks. This marks the second instance of Acuña returning from a torn ACL. His recovery from the first injury played a role in making his impressive 2023 season an outlier during a challenging previous three years in MLB. In 2022, after returning from a torn ACL in 2021, Acuña played 119 games but posted a modest .764 OPS with 15 home runs and a less-than-stellar 29-for-40 record in stolen bases. In that year, his overall performance suffered, leading to the admission that he was not fully healthy. The 2023 season marked a return to form, but concerns about his right knee resurfaced before the onset of the 2024 season. Given the history of injuries, it raises questions about how quickly Acuña can regain his elite form during the remainder of the current season. He has mentioned taking a more measured approach on the basepaths, prioritizing health over sheer numbers. 'I'd rather steal 30 and play the whole season as opposed to trying to steal 70, injuring myself, and missing the whole year,' Acuña said earlier in March.

There is still hope that Acuña could reestablish his prominence purely through hitting. During the 2023 season, he demonstrated an extraordinary ability to adjust at the plate, showcasing a significant decline in his strikeout rate—12.2 percent, the highest drop among players that year. Remarkably, he exhibited outstanding performance against both fastballs (.340 AVG) and breaking pitches (.331 AVG). His aptitude at the plate during rehabilitation was evidenced by his accomplishments in minor league appearances, where he recorded 6 hits in 15 at-bats with two home runs and seven walks against only two strikeouts. Acuña's performance in these limited plate appearances serves as a promising sign as the Braves need his offensive contributions, especially given the struggles of their leadoff hitters who slashed .237/.279/.324 with only two home runs prior to his return. While Acuña's ascent to MLB superstardom was only two years ago, the landscape has shifted significantly in terms of elite players. Current contemporaries like Shohei Ohtani have further set a high bar for performance. Additionally, players such as Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, and Corbin Carroll are emerging as powerful threats in the league, while Aaron Judge continues to deliver a historic pace, having achieved 63 home runs and a remarkable 240 wRC+ in his last 162 games. Yet, according to projections, Acuña is expected to perform admirably, with expectations of a 156 wRC+, 22 home runs, and possibly 34 steals this season, though the latter figure may be optimistic. As the season progresses, there lies uncertainty about Acuña's potential and whether he can replicate or surpass his prior success. Nonetheless, a projection suggests that Acuña could assert himself into the top five of the National League MVP voting, with hopes that the Braves will secure a playoff spot.