The Atlanta Braves are in the final stretch of a division race as they try to erase the Mets’ three game lead in the NL East. Now, while the Braves need all hands on deck as they try to capture their fifth straight NL East title, they also have a comfy eight game lead in the wild card.
The defending World Series champions are also in a easier part of their schedule right now as they are in the midst of a three game series with the Colorado Rockies at home, after that they will take on the visiting Miami Marlins, and finally the Braves close out this cushy part of their schedule with a quick two game road series against the Oakland Athletics before traveling to Seattle to take on the Mariners. All of that said to say this, should the Atlanta Braves place Ronald Acuña Jr on a quick ten-day IL stint? Jon Chuckery thinks so, and he explained why Tuesday night on The Jon Chuckery Show.
Yes the Braves are playing catch up in a tight division race, and could use their young phenom in Ronald Acuña Jr, but the Atlanta Braves will need Ronald Acuña Jr more in the postseason, and can’t have him missing games due to intense knee pain like he is now. Jon Chuckery shares the same sentiment saying “you don’t want anything long term to happen to him”.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has already missed four games, and when it comes to these series with the Rockies, Marlins and Athletics Jon says “I don’t care if he plays at all.” Jon also says “Let Ronnie rest up.” Jon then makes the point of now being the time to not have Ronald Acuña Jr. rather than not having him during the postseason saying “He’s way too important, and the Braves are not winning a World Series without him this year.”
Jon made another good point about Ronald Acuña Jr. saying “When he comes back I want him to play with reckless abandon, right, and you see him out there laboring around. He doesn’t have another gear, and that’s fine I don’t want him to play with another gear. I want him to play full throttle.” Jon is absolutely right, when Ronald Acuña Jr. plays baseball he plays the game in one gear, fast.
Now is the time to rest Ronald Acuña Jr.. The Mets are playing the Dodgers, the Braves shouldn’t lose much if any ground against the Rockies, Marlins and Athletics, so now is the time to rest Acuña to try and get his knee some much needed rest and feeling better, so when the series against the Phillies and more importantly the second to last series of the regular season against the Mets come around in late September and October the Braves can not only make a run at a fifth straight NL East Division title, but also make a run at defending their World Series title, and the Atlanta Braves will need a healthy Ronald Acuña Jr. to do so this year.