As the season approaches, there’s a growing belief that the reason for the Braves’ quiet offseason is due to their confidence in Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider being ahead of schedule in their respective recoveries, even if Alex Anthopoulos likes to keep those sorts of things close to the vest.
Originally, the speculation was that the Braves could be without Strider for around six weeks of the season, while Acuña’s return might come closer to the All-Star break. However, given their activity in Spring Training, it now feels like they will return to action much sooner.
“According to sources, it’s reasonable to expect Strider to join the rotation sometime in late April, while Acuña’s return should come in early- to mid-May,” Mark Feinsand writes for MLB.com.
An April return for Spencer Strider has started to feel more likely every week as we inch closer to Opening Day. He’s been throwing bullpens for over a month, and there’s a chance we even see him make an appearance in the Grapefruit League. He’ll continue to ramp things up in Gwinnett once the season begins, but providing there are no setbacks, it shouldn’t take Strider much time to get up to speed.
Feinsand’s report on Ronald Acuña Jr. is completely new information. The Braves star right fielder has been around the team and participating in various drills, but there had been no clear indication of the team’s plan with him. An early May return is far sooner than anybody could have anticipated when the offseason began five months ago.
Of course, how Ronald Acuña Jr. returns is another question entirely. Following his first ACL tear, he came back a shell of himself, setting career lows across the board while failing to fully trust his reconstructed knee. However, Acuña vowed to take a different approach this time around, ensuring he is 100% before he starts playing again. The fact that the Braves are confident he could only miss the first 5-6 weeks of the season suggests he’s way ahead of schedule.
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Photo: Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire
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