Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. missed Friday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers after injuring his left ankle running to first base on Thursday.
Acuna, 23, landed awkwardly on the ankle after passing first in the eighth inning of the Braves’ 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. X-rays were negative, but the ankle is still sore.
“It felt good getting off the plane last [Thursday] night, but there was no way he could play today,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Friday before Atlanta’s 6-3 win. “He jammed it pretty good. It’s just hard to put a lot of weight on it right now.”
Snitker deemed the injury a twisted ankle but not of the more serious high ankle variety. He’s still hopeful he’ll play this weekend.
“They’ll do some more tests this afternoon just to make sure,” Snitker said. “The training staff said there’s a chance to get the swelling out and he could be good to go tomorrow [Saturday].”
Acuna leads the National League in home runs and runs scored and is second in total bases.