Ronald Acuña Jr. fouls ball off left ankle, exits game

The Atlanta Braves were hit with bad news on Friday night as star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. fouled a ball off his left ankle and exited the game.

Acuña was unable to put weight on his left foot and exited under the assistance of the Braves’ training staff. The team did not provide any additional information at the time of the injury.

The former Rookie of the Year and All-Star was off to yet another hot start this year, slashing .286/.440/.667 with 11 home runs and 22 RBI on 30 hits over 31 games. He has scored 31 times while tallying 34 strikeouts and 22 walks. His 182 OPS+ is the best in baseball.

Acuña has 1.7 fWAR this season while recording a 20.2 percent walk rate and 25.4 percent strikeout clip. He’s also accumulated a .317 BABIP, .455 wOBA, and 185 wRC+.

Behind Acuña, the Braves’ outfield is made up of Adam Duvall, Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, and Marcell Ozuna. While this quartet can adequately man the outfield, there’s no doubt that Acuña’s absence will hurt the team, who will surely welcome him back as soon as he’s ready ahead of an intriguing postseason race.