Writer’s optimistic Ronald Acuna Jr. prediction will excite Braves fans

Ronald Acuna Jr. fought back from a torn ACL injury he suffered in 2024 to play 95 games for the Atlanta Braves in the 2025 season. Upon his return to the field, Acuna looked as good as ever despite the club failing to clinch a playoff spot.

With the 2026 campaign right around the corner, it sounds like Mark Bowman of MLB.com expects big things from the 28-year-old outfielder. Bowman predicts that Acuna could make MLB history in the upcoming season.

“Last year’s flat-footed throw from the right-field corner to third base only strengthened the belief Acuna is the most physically gifted player to ever wear a Braves uniform,” said Bowman. “He repeatedly does the unthinkable. This is why it’s easy to predict he’ll be [the] first player to ever have a 40/40 season after tearing his ACL in both knees.”

Only six players in league history have ever recorded a 40/40 season. Ronald Acuna Jr. accomplished that feat in 2023, after totaling 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases. The other five players to have 40/40 seasons are Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Alfonso Soriano (2006), and Shohei Ohtani (2024).

The ACL tear in his left knee in 2024 was the second time in Acuna’s career that he suffered that injury. The first came in 2021, when he played in 82 games before suffering an ACL tear in his right knee. Ronald Acuna Jr. has failed to play at least 100 games four times in his eight-year career.

Acuna is set to begin the 2026 campaign healthy and ready to go. He is coming off a 2025 season that ended with a .290 batting average and .417 OBP (career-high), along with 98 hits, 21 home runs, 42 RBIs, and nine stolen bases.

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