ATLANTA – Ronald Akuna Jr. is off to a start in Sunday night’s game of the Atlanta Braves against the Los Angeles Dodgers after fouling the ball with his left foot the night before.
Acuna rode with his left knee on a medical scooter to keep his leg high around the Braves Clubhouse on Sunday afternoon. The test showed no fractures, but the star outfielder said he could not put pressure on his foot.
“I’d say it’s something that worries me a bit, but we’ll see how it goes,” Akuna said.
Akuna was not wearing protective boots. She said she asked for the scooter “because I think I can’t put pressure on my feet.”
The Braves are closed on Mondays, giving Aquina a two-day break.
Braves manager Brian Snyder said the injury was “just an injury” and added “we’ll see where it is on Tuesday.” Asked if Aquina was worried he couldn’t put pressure on his leg, Snyder said, “No, if he’s not broken.”
In the third inning of the Braves’ 5-3 victory on Saturday night, Aquina threw the ball to the left foot. He stayed in the game until he was out after the eighth inning.
“I just kept playing and then as the game progressed, he got to a point where I couldn’t really stand,” he said.
Acuna is hitting .281 with seven homers and 18 RBIs during his return this year from a torn ACL in his right knee. He broke his ligaments when he landed awkwardly while trying to make a catch on the right field in Miami last July and missed the rest of the season as Atlanta won the World Series.
Acuna leads the Braves with 13 stolen bases and returned to the everyday role in the right area after spending time as a designated hitter at the start of his return.
“It’s a feeling that reminds me a little bit of last year, just the frustration of not doing a rehabilitation or rehabilitation assignment or anything,” Akuna said. “I just want to be able to play every day. Despair can’t play every day. “
Shortstop Dansby Swanson is hitting the leadoff, usually a spot near Acuna. Adam Duvall starts on the field on the right while Marcel Ozuna, a commonly assigned hitter, is on the left.