Ronald Acuna Jr. gets trusted advice from Reds legend for Braves return at full health

Like Mike Trout, Ronald Acuna Jr. was another big name, who missed the majority of the 2024 season after he tore his ACL in May last year. In 49 games he played, the outfielder batted .250 and had four home runs.

The Atlanta Braves superstar's chance of featuring in the Opening Day seems slim at the moment. And it's only for the better, according to a former Reds legend, who asks the 2023 NL MVP to follow the process assigned by the trainers without rushing anything.

During Monday's episode of "The Mayor's Office," Sean Casey shared his precious advice for the Braves star coming off an injury like an ACL.

"I think the bottom line is just to stay with the program," Casey said. "These trainers and all the staff in the big leagues now have such a structured protocol, so stick with it. When you're ready to go, you're ready to go. I always said when I was injured, as soon as I thought I was ready, I’d give it another week or a few more days to make sure I was 100%." (11:20 onwards)

"Test it on the back field, test it in games—be absolutely certain you're good to go," Casey added. "I don’t know what ACL surgery is like, but I wonder if they’re going to develop something similar to that internal brace they have for the elbow."

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Ronald Acuna Jr. not expected to be available on Opening Day

In Nov. last year, Braves President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos confirmed that Ronald Acuna Jr. alongside starting pitcher Spencer Strider will not be available for the club on Opening Day in 2025.

"With both guys, I don't think it's significant time, but I think we're confident that Opening Day is not realistic for them," Anthopoulos said. "I think, look, once we get to spring, you get to the beginning of February, you'll have a much better idea on timelines. We're planning that they will not be part of the Opening Day roster, and how soon after that, we'll know more as we get deeper into the offseason." [H/t MLB.com]

Earlier in Feb. when Acuna reported to the Spring Training camp, the outfielder acknowledged that he may not be as fit as he once was when he used to steal 40 bases in a season.

“I think [I'm] going to be patient,” Acuña said through an interpreter. “We’re really going to focus on my hitting and fielding and anything I can do to help the team win. In regards to running and stealing those bases, I don’t know if I’ll be able to steal the 40 or 50 bags as easily. I think that’s still to be seen. But yeah, I just don’t know how that’s going to play out.” [H/t MLB.com]

If healthy, there are only a few who could rival Acuna Jr. in terms of overall performance, be it hitting, running or defense.