As the MLB season reaches mid-May, the Atlanta Braves are aiming to climb above the .500 mark as they face Boston tonight. After a rough start, the Braves have shown clear improvement in recent games. Adding to the momentum is the encouraging update on the health of two of their star players.
Spencer Strider is expected to make his return during this road trip, but a definitive timeline for Ronald Acuña Jr.’s return hasn’t been set yet. Fortunately, Acuña looked sharp in his Triple-A debut last night. Beyond simply outclassing Triple-A competition, his strong performance may be tied to a specific area of focus for him in 2025: rediscovering his dominance against fastballs.
Ronald Acuña Jr. crushing fastballs again would do wonders for the Braves offense
During Wednesday afternoon’s press conference, Ronald Acuña Jr. offered a subtle yet telling remark that may hint at his main focus heading into 2025. When asked what benchmark would signal he’s ready to rejoin the Braves, Acuña simply replied, “Stay ready for the fastball.”
While curveballs often get the blame, Acuña’s 2024 struggles were more about handling the fastball. After a dominant, MVP-winning 2023 campaign where he punished nearly every pitch thrown his way, his follow-up season told a different story.
Before his season-ending injury in 2024, Acuña wasn’t delivering the elite production fans had come to expect. Some of that dip was due to bad batted-ball luck, but a significant portion stemmed from his diminished results against fastballs.
In 2023, Acuña hit .340 with a .576 slugging percentage, a .425 wOBA, and just a 14.5% whiff rate against heaters. Contrast that with 2024, where—albeit in a smaller sample—his average fell to .222, slugging dropped to .350, wOBA slid to .315, and his whiff rate nearly doubled to 27.2%.
Those declines appear to have stuck with Acuña, motivating a renewed focus on crushing fastballs in 2025. Seeing him square up velocity during his Triple-A rehab stint is an encouraging sign—and fans are hoping that it’s just the beginning of a return to form for one of baseball’s most dynamic stars.