NORTH PORT, Fla. — Ronald Acuña Jr. met with the Atlanta Braves’ medical staff on the afternoon of May 26 and burst into tears when he was told he had suffered a complete tear of the ACL in his left knee. But by the time his Venezuela-based trainer, Juan Aular, heard from him later that night, Acuña was composed. He had accepted his fate, taken comfort in knowing precisely what to expect and was convinced a better version of himself was waiting on the other side. “We’re gonna do this again,” Acuña told Aular, the man who guided him through the torn ACL on his right knee less than three years earlier. “We’re gonna win MVP again.”

Said Aular: “I got goosebumps.”

Acuña tore his ACL for the first time in 2021, so when Aular saw the clip of him crumbling to the ground last year in Pittsburgh, he worried that the thought of another arduous rehab might crush the player. That initial phone call provided encouragement. And as they began to train together again this winter, Aular noticed a vastly different Acuña from the last rehab. He was more mature, more focused, but he was also grappling with his identity like never before. Acuña initially declared he would no longer steal bases, and Aular spent the better part of 10 weeks convincing him he didn’t have to take it that far.

They worked on stabilization and changing direction, but also on shaping mindset. Changing his style of play was unnecessary, Aular repeatedly told Acuña. Toning down his level of intensity might actually be dangerous. He simply needed to pick his spots. The first ACL tear happened while Acuña sprinted toward the warning track and attempted to make a leaping catch near the fence. But the second was the result of unnecessarily forcing action, attempting to steal third base in the first inning of an early-season game, then hurting himself while changing direction and retreating to second.

“He needs to learn how to play to the situation in the game,” Aular said in Spanish. “That is what’s key for Ronald.”

Acuña, 27, has played seven seasons in the major leagues but has only been fully healthy for two of them. In the first, 2019, he hit 41 homers, stole 37 bases, posted an .883 OPS and finished fifth in National League MVP voting as a 21-year-old. In his second, 2023, he put together the first 40/70 season in major league history and was a unanimous choice for MVP.

Acuña emerged from that year looking like the best, most electrifying player in the sport — outside of Shohei Ohtani, perhaps — but there’s no telling what he’ll look like coming off a second major knee operation. Acuña believes the combination of good health and more seasoning will make for “an even better player than I was in 2023.” He’s also striving to be slightly different.

“I’d rather steal 30 and play the whole season as opposed to trying to steal 70, injuring myself and missing the whole year,” Acuña said in Spanish.

But striking the proper balance between aggression and control can often be difficult on players, and Acuña’s attempt seems especially delicate. What the Braves want most is to have him healthy, but they also know the best version of him plays with a hint of reckless abandon. They don’t want to lose Acuña, but they also don’t want him to lose himself.

They’re hoping time will help.

The Braves haven’t announced a return date for Acuña, but if all goes well, he is expected to rejoin their lineup at some point in May. By then, his rehab will have lasted about 12 months, two more than the last time. His return won’t come with any artificial restraints, either. He’ll play his customary position of right field when he starts, as opposed to getting rest days at designated hitter, and will maintain a green light on the bases. Any limits will be self-imposed.

“We’re gonna make sure when he’s back, he’s full go, and that he can be himself and play the game he plays,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “He’s very competitive, he’s a tremendous base-stealer, and we’re not gonna have any restrictions on him at all.”

Anthopoulos has heard talk about Acuña’s desire to be more cautious on the bases, though he hasn’t heard that from Acuña himself.

His response: “I’ll believe it when I see it.

“And I don’t mean that in a bad way,” Anthopoulos added. “He’s just such a good base-stealer. From a medical standpoint, if he’s cleared and he’s fine, I think he’ll find a sweet spot that makes sense for him. But we haven’t told him anything specifically. Once he’s back, the plan is that he’s back with no restrictions.”

Anthopoulos noticed Acuña being more “apprehensive and tentative” in the outfield when he returned from a nine-and-a-half-month rehab in 2022. There was fear of a repeat incident, but Acuña also hadn’t spent enough time strengthening his lower half. Intermittent off days were needed to combat continual discomfort. Acuña didn’t feel as if he had a strong enough base, and his numbers — a .764 OPS and 15 homers while being caught stealing an NL-worst 11 times in 119 games — showed it.

That shouldn’t be the case this time.

Said Aular: “He’s much stronger now.”

Acuña spent June, July, August and most of September navigating through the initial stages of his rehab at Elite OrthoSport, the Los Angeles-based training facility recommended by his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Aular then trained Acuña in his hometown of La Sabana from the middle of November until the end of January. The Braves’ training staff sent a detailed plan, and the two followed it six days a week, in five-hour sessions, taking off only on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

By January, Acuña said he’d started to feel like himself again. Once spring training began, he dazzled teammates continually with prodigious home runs during batting practice. At times it seemed as if he never left.

“He just looks like himself,” Braves center fielder Michael Harris II said. “Still having fun, still being a goofball, still hitting balls over the scoreboard.”

Acuña is a naturally gifted runner, having starred as a 400-meter sprinter during his early teenage years. As he rose through the Braves’ system, he racked up 82 stolen bases in 265 minor league games. He followed with 196 steals in the majors from 2018 to 2024 — second-most in the sport despite missing 30% of the games in that stretch. Stealing bases has always been a major part of Acuña’s identity. Few seem convinced he will let up, even if just a little.

“I don’t think he’ll ever give it up,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said with a laugh. “It’s the player he is. Yeah, you can choose when you run and stuff, but I bet once he gets back out there, he gets his legs under him, back into playing speed, he’s gonna be the same ol’ Ronald.”

The Braves had their string of six consecutive division titles snapped last season, winning 89 games and just barely sneaking into the playoffs. The New York Mets have since added Juan Soto, and the Philadelphia Phillies continue to be a force, but the Braves will be getting their two best players back: Spencer Strider, who succumbed to elbow surgery after only two starts last spring, should return to the top of the rotation before the end of April; Acuña will return to the top of the lineup shortly thereafter.

Acuña won’t play in any Grapefruit League games, but he has been taking at-bats against Braves pitchers to hone in on his timing. Soon, he’ll be cleared for cutting drills. A rehab assignment will soon follow. The reality of playing actual baseball games again has noticeably lifted his spirits.

“You appreciate things more when you have something like that happen,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You realize how blessed you are to have this opportunity to play this game.”

Asked what he learned having gone through this process before, Acuña said, “Patience. Not getting too anxious.”

He hopes he’ll be better for it.

“I know the type of player I can be,” Acuña said. “I still don’t feel like I’ve gotten to, like, my prime-prime. The most important thing is health.”