Atlanta Braves three-time All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. will return home this winter to play in his native Venezuela.
On Friday, Acuna posted a video announcing that he had received permission from the Braves to play for his hometown team, Tiburones de la Guaira, of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
A report from MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, later confirmed by Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos, says Acuna will play five games for La Guaira but will only see time as the team’s designating hitter and won’t see the field.
According to MLB.com’s Nathalie Alonso, the Braves’ reluctance toward Acuna is to protect him from himself. Acuna suffered a season-ending ACL tear while attempting a leaping grab in 2021, which required surgery.
Earlier this week, Venezuelan press reported that Acuna had already arrived at La Guaira’s facilities and was only awaiting the “green light” from the Braves to play. David O’Brien of The Athletic said Acuna was “pleading” with Atlanta to let him play, and he eventually got his wish.
Returning from injury, Acuna earned his second consecutive All-Star nod in 2022, batting .266/.351/.413 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI in 119 games.
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