There’s no hiding behind the fact that a large reason the Atlanta Braves took a step back last season and did not have as much success as the organization had hoped for can be traced back to Ronald Acuña Jr. not being healthy for the entirety of the season.
Once Acuña Jr. returned to the Braves lineup, it translated into more success in the back half of the 2025 schedule. But will Ronald ever be able to recreate his 40-home run,70-stolen base campaign that saw him win the NL MVP in 2023? Injuries are certainly a big factor in Acuña’s game, but there’s no denying his production when on the baseball diamond.
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Bold Prediction Has Ronald Acuña Jr. Going 40-40 Again
If the Braves receive a full season of Ronald Acuña Jr’s contribution, they should be in the race for a playoff spot come September. Key word, “should”, as the MLB season is long and unexpected things tend to take place to derail teams’ promising seasons.
However, a recent Bold Prediction features Acuña Jr. having another monster season, like the one he had in 2023.
MLB.com recently published a story with 1 prediction for all 30 MLB teams, and for the Atlanta Braves, it’s Ronald Acuña Jr. posting another 40-home run, 40-stolen base season.
Here is what contributor Mark Bowman had to contribute to the article:
GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA РJULY 18: Ronald Acu̱a Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves advances to third base on a sacrifice fly by Drake Baldwin #30 in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Truist Park on July 18, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“Thereâs an expectation Acuña will run less frequently to protect his two surgically repaired knees. So, instead of predicting heâll match the 40/70 season he had in 2023, weâll lower expectations and predict he will record what would be just the seventh 40/40 season in AL/NL history. Acuña and Shohei Ohtani will both enter 2026 with a chance to become the first player to ever have a pair of 40-homer, 40-stolen base seasons.”
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Ronald Acuña Jr’s Health Has Been His Key to Success
Ronald Acuña Jr. may be one of the most talented players in all of MLB, but as Bowman indicated, his running ability may start to get hindered by the two surgeries on his knees.
It’s wild to think that the hard part of Acuña Jr. reaching the 40-40 feat might be the stolen bases, and not the home runs. Ronald has just 25 stolen bases in his last 144 games, which is his full game load over the past two seasons.
In just 95 games in 2025, Acuña Jr. hit .290 with 21 home runs, 98 hits, and an OPS of .935. It’s hard to replicate a season as Ronald did in 2023, especially if he isn’t fully healthy, but this bold prediction is likely predicated on how much the Braves actually utilize their All-Star outfielder on the basepaths.
The Braves are obviously trying to get back to their early 2020s success on the field, and prioritizing Acuña Jr’s health is super important in that potential success.
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