Major League Baseball

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. to miss spring training

Updated Mar. 22, 2022 10:04 p.m. ET

Defending a World Series title is never easy. For the Atlanta Braves, the road to a repeat is already off to a rocky start.

The Braves were already having to press forward without the services of star slugger Freddie Freeman, who signed a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, they've revealed that they won't see Ronald Acuña Jr. in action for a while either — certainly not in spring training and possibly not until May.

"No. You won't see him in a spring game," manager Brian Snitker said after Atlanta's 4-0 win over Minnesota on Tuesday.

Acuña, recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered midway through last season, expressed hope at the start of spring training that he would be ready for the defending World Series champion Braves' opener April 7. There had been speculation the universal DH would provide a path for Acuña's return to the lineup earlier than if he had to play in the outfield.

Instead, the Braves continue to take a cautious approach to the rehabilitation process for Acuña, the team's unquestioned biggest star after Freeman's departure.

Snitker said Acuna has not had any setbacks but added, "He's just still going through rehab, pretty much."

The Braves will have to prepare an outfield plan without Acuña for the start of the season.

Atlanta signed outfielders Eddie Rosario and Alex Dickerson at the start of spring. It also has Marcell Ozuna back with the team following his arrest last year on charges of aggravated assault after police officers said they witnessed him attacking his wife. Ozuna can start in left field or as the DH.

The new depth will be important if Acuña is forced to miss an extended stretch.

Though he was firm in his plan for Acuña, Snitker said the outfielder continues to make progress in his recovery. The rehab schedule includes hitting but no other baseball activity.

"He's doing great," Snitker said. "... He has done exactly everything, I think, that they needed him to do."

Acuña proclaimed "I'm ready" when the Braves opened camp March 16. He is expected to eventually play right field, with Adam Duvall and Guillermo Heredia in center field.

In four seasons, Acuña has already been named an All-Star twice while recording 105 home runs, 246 RBIs and a career batting average of .281.

The absence of Acuña amplifies just how different this Braves team will look this season.

With Freeman, Joc Pederson and Jorge Soler gone, but with Matt Olson and Kenley Jansen added, the Braves will enter the season with a vastly different look than they had last season when they were the last team standing.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.