While the rest of the Atlanta Braves scattered to All-Star festivities in Philadelphia, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim reported to the opposite kind of baseball on Monday: a Minor League rehab assignment with the FCL Braves in North Port, Florida.
The Braves confirmed the assignments before first pitch. Acuña is working back from a left hamstring strain that has kept him out since June 9; Kim is attempting to find his timing after offseason surgery on his right middle finger.
Acuña’s second trip to the IL this season
Acuña originally strained the hamstring on May 2 and missed just over two weeks before returning on May 19. He produced a .893 OPS over 19 games after his initial comeback — a stretch that included some of his most electric base-running of the season — before re-aggravating the strain on June 9.
Before the latest injury, Acuña was hitting .251 with seven homers and 15 stolen bases in 53 games, with a .794 OPS. The Braves have not announced a timeline for his return to the Major League lineup, but the fact that both assignments opened on the same day suggests the team is hoping to bring both bats back early in the second half.
Kim’s much harder road
Kim’s rehab is the more uncertain of the two. The shortstop signed with Atlanta in the offseason and was expected to slot in as the everyday shortstop while also providing right-handed pop in the middle of the order.
Instead, Kim has hit .068 with a .239 OPS across 27 games this season — a brutal line driven largely by what the team has described as a still-healing right middle finger. He had surgery on the tendon in the offseason, completed a nine-game rehab assignment in May, and was activated, but the bat has not come around.
Sending him back to the FCL level on Monday suggests Atlanta wants him to get consistent at-bats against live pitching in a low-pressure setting before recalling him. The Braves have not said how long either assignment will last.
A quiet All-Star break
The rest of the Braves’ roster scattered on Monday for the All-Star Game festivities at Citizens Bank Park, where five Atlanta players — closer Raisel Iglesias, rookie catcher Drake Baldwin, starter Chris Sale, second baseman Ozzie Albies, and first baseman Matt Olson — represented the club. The Midsummer Classic is Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
When the Braves reconvene for the second half on Friday, the question will be how close Acuña and Kim are to rejoining them.