**Braves Sign Veteran Outfielder Following Ronald Acuña Jr.’s Injury**
The Atlanta Braves are once again faced with the challenge of replacing one of baseball’s top talents, Ronald Acuña Jr., who is out for the season due to a torn ACL. This marks the second time in three years that Acuña Jr. has suffered such an injury, having previously torn his ACL in July 2021, which caused him to miss the latter half of 2021 and the start of the 2022 season. Now, his recovery will extend through the end of 2024 and possibly into the beginning of 2025.
This setback is significant for the Braves, a team with perennial World Series ambitions. They managed to secure the championship in 2021 without Acuña and will need to replicate that success in 2024 to claim another title.
In response to Acuña’s 2021 injury, the Braves swiftly bolstered their outfield by acquiring Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, and Adam Duvall before the trade deadline. These players were crucial to their World Series victory, with Rosario earning NLCS MVP and Soler being named World Series MVP.
Currently, the Braves have outfielders Duvall, Michael Harris II, and Jarred Kelenic on their roster but may seek additional reinforcements before the trade deadline, aiming to mirror their 2021 strategy. They have already begun this process.
On Wednesday, the Braves signed outfielder Ramón Laureano, who was recently released by the Cleveland Guardians after being designated for assignment. The Braves signed Laureano, a seven-year MLB veteran, to a minor league deal according to the team’s transaction log.
Laureano, 29, has a career batting average of .242 with a .740 OPS. However, he has struggled this season, hitting just .143 with a .494 OPS. Despite this, a change of environment might help Laureano rediscover his form, as he has been an above-average MLB outfielder over his career.
Laureano has a career OPS+ of 106, indicating he has been six percent better than the league average as a hitter. His standout season was in 2019, where he posted a .288/.340/.521 slash line, hit 24 home runs, and had an .860 OPS in 123 games.
Though currently a minor league addition, Laureano will compete for a spot on the MLB roster. Meanwhile, the Braves will likely continue to explore further moves to fill the void left by the irreplaceable Ronald Acuña Jr.
