The fourth 40/40 season in the history of Major League Baseball will have to wait after the Braves announced that second-year sensation Ronald Acuña Jr. will miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a mild groin injury on Tuesday night.
The Braves outfielder will finish the regular season with 41 home runs and 37 stolen bases in what has been an impressive second season for the 21-year-old phenom.
Acuña was taken out of the Braves’ 9-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night after experiencing hip tightness during the pursuit of a ball hit by Bubba Starling in the second inning.
The Venezuela native was then removed from the game as a precautionary measure.
While the groin strain is not described as being serious, the Braves and manager Brian Snitker have decided that it’s best for Acuña to sit out the rest of this week’s games in order to be healthy for the beginning of the playoffs next week.
Acuña will be an important piece of the Braves puzzle in the postseason as the team’s starting center fielder and leadoff hitter.
While he won’t be able to pursue a historic 40/40 season now, he should be healed and ready to go for Game 1 of the NLDS at SunTrust Park next Thursday.
