How does an athlete bounce back from two major knee injuries in just four years and still leave fans in awe night after night? If you’re Ronald Acuña Jr., you make it look easy. The Braves superstar is quickly proving he’s returned to the elite level he showcased during his 2023 MVP campaign.
After another knee surgery, many questioned whether Acuña could recapture his dominant form. But just 16 games into the 2025 season, he’s already silencing those doubts. With a homer against the Brewers in the series opener, Acuña reached 1.0 fWAR putting him on pace for a staggering 10.0 over a full season. That’s ahead of the 9.1 fWAR he posted during his award-winning 2023 season.
The only area where Acuña hasn’t matched last year is stolen bases he has none so far, compared to seven at this point in 2023. But that’s by design; Acuña said back in October he planned to be more selective on the bases this year. Everywhere else, he’s performing at or near his previous MVP pace.
Side-by-Side Comparison (Through 16 Games)
| Stat | 2023 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Batting Average | .373 | .305 |
| OBP | .455 | .406 |
| SLG | .567 | .593 |
| Home Runs | 3 | 5 |
| Stolen Bases | 7 | 0 |
| BB% | 11.7% | 14.5% |
| K% | 15.6% | 31.9% |
| wRC+ | 179 | 176 |
| wOBA | .440 | .426 |
Despite the Braves’ tough start to the season plagued by offensive slumps, rotation issues, and bullpen breakdowns Acuña’s resurgence gives fans reason to hope. His current average exit velocity even tops that of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
To truly capitalize on Acuña’s production, the Braves need more help from the rest of the lineup. So far, most of his home runs have come with few or no runners on base. But with Austin Riley, Matt Olson, and Ozzie Albies starting to heat up, there’s optimism that run production could soon follow.
Acuña is doing his part playing with the swagger and power fans saw in 2023. Now the rest of the team just needs to catch up and turn things around.
