Ronald Acuña Jr. is one of the most talented players in baseball without question, but his availability, or lack thereof, has really limited the Atlanta Braves outfielder in recent years.
After two of his previous three seasons were riddled by injuries, Acuña Jr. has already missed 53 games with hamstring issues so far in 2025-26. As a result, insider Ken Rosenthal believes the Braves may be hesitant to extend him to a new contract anytime soon, potentially leading to the 2023 NL MVP hitting free agency in 2028.
“I’m not sure the Braves want to do anything just yet with Acuña. Problem with Acuña is he hasn’t always been healthy and if you’re the Braves and you’ve got him on a cheap deal, which they do for the next two years, why would you do anything when his knees have been a problem for him, he’s had lower leg stuff. Besides that, I’m not sure I would make a move… Now Acuña I’m sure would welcome talks for an extension because he’s had so many injuries, but I just don’t see it happening. I do see him in two years becoming a free agent, yes,”
The 28-year-old Acuña Jr. is playing on the eight-year, $100 million contract extension he signed to stay in Atlanta in 2019, which includes a club option this winter. He’s hitting .253 with 16 home runs and 45 RBI through 91 games played this season.
While it’s extremely unlikely that the Braves decline Acuña Jr.’s club options over the next two offseasons given the value of his current contract, there certainly appears to be a chance that he could reach free agency in 2028 as a major name with huge upside for other teams to gamble on.
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