Ronald Acuna Jr. News: Braves All Star slugger returns to lineup after brief injury scare

After a brief injury scare in which Ronald Acuna Jr. had some knee troubles, the slugger is back in the lineup.

Even when the team first learned of his status, they were confident that he'd be back before Opening Day and play for them. So far, they're right on track, as he's expected to be in the lineup once again.

Per reports, Ronald Acuna Jr. is going to be back today and be batting first and playing designated hitter. He's not yet ready to patrol the outfield but is ready to start swinging a bat again. Two weeks before Opening Day, this is positive news for the team.

The Atlanta Braves have one of the deepest lineups, but even they would struggle to replace Acuna if he were out. He's the reigning NL MVP. Plus, given the fact that the meniscus irritation he suffered was in his already surgically repaired knee, things could have been a lot worse.

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Ronald Acuna Injury Update: Slugger returns after small absence

Ronald Acuna Jr. is back

Spring Training can be devastating for teams. For example, the New York Yankees are missing Gerrit Cole, while Aaron Judge is banged up as well. The Atlanta Braves losing Ronald Acuna Jr. before the season even began would be tough for them to overcome.

Fortunately, that's not the case. The team first noticed his injury at the very start of the month, and he was shut down for a little over a week. That proved to be, so far, all he needed, as he's back now and will likely be in the outfield again before Opening Day.

Acuna's game is predicated on speed, as he's a unique power/speed threat who set records in those categories last season. A knee injury would be tough to deal with, especially on the same knee where he suffered a torn ACL before.

Acuna's overall activity level should be monitored, especially if he remains DH for a while. Nevertheless, it's a positive sign that he's back and should be in the lineup the rest of the way.