Breaking News: Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Will Go To Los Angeles One More Time To Have His Quad Strength Tested Again Before Being Cleared To Start A Rehab Stint. Snit Said He Didn’t Know When This Trip Will Occur

Braves Facing Pressure as Injuries and Inconsistency Threaten 2025 Season

Time is quickly running out for the Atlanta Braves to turn their season around.

According to ESPN’s latest MLB Stock Watch, the Braves are in urgent need of a shakeup. Once projected to win 96.5 games and boasting a 91.1% chance of reaching the postseason, Atlanta’s forecast has plummeted just five weeks into the 2025 campaign. New projections now peg them at just 86.7 wins, with postseason odds dipping below 44%.

The driving force behind the downturn? Injuries — and their domino effect across the roster.

“Hopes that the Braves can still reach their ceiling hinge on the longed-for returns of Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr.,” ESPN reported. Without their two biggest stars, Atlanta has been fighting to stay competitive in a loaded National League. They opened the year with a disastrous 0-7 stretch and haven’t found steady footing since.

The latest update on Acuña offers a ray of hope. Initially, he was expected to travel to Los Angeles for further testing on his injured quad. However, the team has since confirmed that additional tests are no longer necessary. Acuña is now set to begin a rehab assignment later this month, with a return to the Braves’ lineup projected for late May.

Still, the injuries only tell part of the story. Even the team’s healthy veterans have failed to meet expectations. ESPN specifically points to Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, Chris Sale, and Raisel Iglesias as players who need to significantly step up. This group was expected to help stabilize the team during the absence of Strider and Acuña, but they’ve collectively underperformed.

Despite the challenges, the Braves remain too talented to be considered out of the race. They’re not built to rebuild or tank — but in a season where the Dodgers are steamrolling through the competition, simply being decent won’t cut it.

There is at least one silver lining: Atlanta won’t have to face the Dodgers again in the regular season, which may offer some breathing room as they try to regroup.

For now, the goal is to hold the line. If the Braves can keep pace in the standings and get healthy at the right time, there’s still hope for a strong second half. But as ESPN bluntly put it, “They have a lot of work to do.”