Ronald Acuña Jr. was expected to play 7 innings on Wednesday night for the Gwinnett Stripers, and some were surprised when he actually played all 9 innings.
That reasoning became a bit more clear when the Braves announced on Thursday that Acuña Jr. was being activated and will join the team Thursday as they face the Cubs.
Acuña's rehab consisted of some games in right field and others at DH for Gwinnett and he hit .368 with a long double in 19 at-bats.
Acuña has been out since he suffered an ACL tear on July 10, 2021.
It is unclear what role Acuña will play tonight, but many expect him to immediately return to RF and batting leadoff. But we'll have to wait until the official lineup comes out to know for certain.