Riley, Harris, or a soon-to-be Brave? Who could help replace Acuna after injury?
-
Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer
When Ronald Acuna Jr. blew out his right knee on July 10, 2021, Alex Anthopoulos felt compelled to respond quickly.
The Braves’ head of baseball operations wanted to send a message to the Atlanta players that the season was not lost — that the front office and the team should both continue to fight. So five days later, Anthopoulos traded for veteran outfielder Joc Pederson and catcher Stephen Vogt, and before the end of the summer, he’d add three more outfielders — Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler. The Braves would go on to win the World Series that fall, with those midseason additions contributing significantly.
Now Acuna has suffered another anterior cruciate ligament injury, to his other knee, and again he is out for the season.
The Braves’ situation is not nearly as dire as it was when Acuna was hurt in ’21 — then, Atlanta was struggling to play .500 ball, and didn’t have nearly as deep of a roster as it does now. But this time, the team has to move ahead not only without the reigning National League MVP, but also without its most dominant pitcher, Spencer Strider, who suffered a season-ending elbow injury at the outset of the season.
The early success (and good health) of Chris Sale has helped to plug the hole created by Strider’s injury. But the Braves’ offense — which had already been in an early funk after setting records for home runs last year — will need heroes to emerge in the lineup.
It might be third baseman Austin Riley, who is expected to return soon from a minor back injury suffered a couple of weeks ago. At that point, Riley had felt that he was just about to emerge from an early-season slump. “I am this close,” said Riley, holding his index and thumb millimeters apart, as he described how he felt at the plate.
Maybe it’ll be Braves center fielder Michael Harris II, who knows what it means to dig out of a slump. Last year, Harris was activated off the injured list without taking at-bats in the minors because the staff felt his defense was so important — and for six weeks, he struggled mightily at the plate. But in his last 100 games, Harris batted .335 with 63 runs, 16 home runs and 15 stolen bases. He could be a natural candidate to ascend into the leadoff spot.
All-Star catcher Sean Murphy, too, was just activated after missing most of the past two months with a rib cage injury. First baseman Matt Olson has already begun to work his way out of a slow start, batting .290 with five homers in his past 16 games. Through his April struggles, Olson had actually generated hard-hit rates that were in line with what he produced last year, but he did not have the results to show for it. His teammates felt he had been the victim of some bad BABIP luck.
Many pointed to a game against the Red Sox on May 8: Olson scorched a line drive toward left field that Boston third baseman Rafael Devers rose to barely spear. Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer could see Olson’s shoulders sag with frustration at the sight of yet another intercepted line drive.
But Devers couldn’t hold the ball, and Olson got a hit. Before the next game, Seitzer spoke to Olson about his reaction to Devers’ brief interception. When Olson’s shoulders dropped, Seitzer said, it was like he could see that misfortune weighing down the All-Star first baseman. Seitzer told Olson there was no sense clinging to that frustration, because those early-season at-bats were behind him, and he couldn’t change the result.
“As far as I’m concerned, the season starts for you today,” Seitzer said. Hours later, after Olson had clubbed a home run in a series-opening win over the Mets, Seitzer greeted Olson in the handshake line and punctuated his earlier remarks: “Have a great season.”
Maybe the Braves will get a boost from Ozzie Albies, or Jarred Kelenic, the talented young outfielder who has swung well in his first season with the Braves. Maybe Duvall, signed late in spring training, will take advantage of the additional playing time he will get. Maybe Marcell Ozuna will continue to carry the offense, as he has for a lot of this season.
“He might be the best hitter in baseball right now,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Sunday as he described a plate appearance that Ozuna had against his team.
And it’s a certainty that Anthopoulos, reflexively proactive, will scan the trade market and look for opportunities to upgrade, even at a time when his farm system is thinner than that of other contenders. Anthopoulos typically holds some spending flexibility in reserve, and inevitably, other teams will look to dump pricey veterans as they fall out of the race. Sellers will develop, and outfielders will become available. Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, Mark Canha, Starling Marte, Tommy Pham, Rosario (again) and Kevin Kiermaier are among the players on short-term deals who could be moved this year if their respective teams fall out of contention.
Braves manager Brian Snitker talked earlier this year about the team’s offensive problems and mentioned a trait he sees in the collective mindset of the team. “These guys will not panic,” he said. “They will never panic. Three years ago, we lost Acuna, and these guys just kept going.”
Three years ago, they won the World Series without him.
Now the Braves will have to try to do that again.
It’s 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Atlanta!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Truist Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
While the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture — 2024 winner Teoscar Hernandez is not a part of this year’s field — a number of exciting stars will be taking the field, including Atlanta’s own Matt Olson, who replaced Ronald Acuna Jr. just three days before the event. Will Olson make a run in front of his home crowd? Will Cal Raleigh show off the power that led to 38 home runs in the first half? Or will one of the younger participants take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at the night’s end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners (38 home runs in 2025)
James Wood, Washington Nationals (24)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (23)
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (21)
Brent Rooker, Athletics (20)
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (17)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (17)
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
Live updates
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Raleigh. His swing is perfect for the Derby: He leads MLB this season in both pull percentage and fly ball percentage, so it’s not as if he needs to recalibrate it to succeed. He has also become a prolific hitter from the right side this season — 16 home runs in 102 at-bats — and his ability to switch between right- and left-handed pitching offers a potential advantage. No switch-hitter (or catcher for that matter) has won a Home Run Derby. The Big Dumper is primed to be the first, beating Buxton in the finals.
Alden Gonzalez: Cruz. He might be wildly inconsistent at this point in his career, but he is perfect for the Derby — young enough to possess the stamina required for a taxing event that could become exhausting in the Atlanta heat; left-handed, in a ballpark where the ball carries out better to right field; and, most importantly, capable of hitting balls at incomprehensible velocities. Raleigh will put on a good show from both sides of the plate but will come in second.
Buster Olney: Olson. He is effectively pinch-hitting for Acuna, and because he received word in the past 72 hours of his participation, he hasn’t had the practice rounds that the other competitors have been going through. But he’s the only person in this group who has done the Derby before, which means he has experienced the accelerated pace, adrenaline and push of the crowd.
His pitcher, Eddie Perez, knows something about performing in a full stadium in Atlanta. And, as Olson acknowledged in a conversation Sunday, the park generally favors left-handed hitters because of the larger distances that right-handed hitters must cover in left field.
Jesse Rogers: Olson. Home-field advantage will mean something this year as hitting in 90-plus degree heat and humidity will be an extra challenge in Atlanta. Olson understands that and can pace himself accordingly. Plus, he was a late addition. He has got nothing to lose. He’ll outlast the young bucks in the field. And I’m not putting Raleigh any lower than second — his first half screams that he’ll be in the finals against Olson.
Jorge Castillo: Wood. His mammoth power isn’t disputed — he can jack baseballs to all fields. But the slight defect in his power package is that he doesn’t hit the ball in the air nearly as often as a typical slugger. Wood ranks 126th out of 155 qualified hitters across the majors in fly ball percentage. And he still has swatted 24 home runs this season. So, in an event where he’s going to do everything he can to lift baseballs, hitting fly balls won’t be an issue, and Wood is going to show off that gigantic power en route to a victory over Cruz in the finals.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night — and how far?
Passan: Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball history. He’s the choice here, at 493 feet.
Gonzalez: If you exclude the Coors Field version, there have been just six Statcast-era Derby home runs that have traveled 497-plus feet. They were compiled by two men: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. James Wood — all 6-foot-7, 234 pounds of him — will become the third.
Olney: James Wood has the easy Stanton- and Judge-type power, and he will clear the Chophouse with the longest homer. Let’s say 497 feet.
Rogers: Hopefully he doesn’t injure himself doing it, but Buxton will break out his massive strength and crush a ball at least 505 feet. I don’t see him advancing far in the event, but for one swing, he’ll own the night.
Castillo: Cruz hits baseballs hard and far. He’ll crush a few bombs, and one will reach an even 500 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the Derby?
Passan: Buxton capped his first half with a cycle on Saturday, and he’ll carry that into the Derby, where he will remind the world why he was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2015. Buxton’s talent has never been in question, just his health. And with his body feeling right, he has the opportunity to put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
Olney: Caminero isn’t a big name and wasn’t a high-end prospect like Wood was earlier in his career. Just 3½ years ago, Caminero was dealt to the Rays by the Cleveland Guardians in a relatively minor November trade for pitcher Tobias Myers. But since then, he has refined his ability to cover inside pitches and is blossoming this year into a player with ridiculous power. He won’t win the Derby, but he’ll open some eyes.
What’s the one moment we’ll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Gonzalez: The incredible distances and velocities that will be reached, particularly by Wood, Cruz, Caminero, Raleigh and Buxton. The hot, humid weather at Truist Park will only aid the mind-blowing power that will be on display Monday night.
Rogers: The exhaustion on the hitter’s faces, swinging for home run after home run in the heat and humidity of Hot-lanta!
Castillo: Cruz’s 500-foot blast and a bunch of other lasers he hits in the first two rounds before running out of gas in the finals.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike