Braves' Ronald Acuña is placed on IL after second season

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves placed outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. on the 10-day injured list on Monday after the reigning NL MVP sustained a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Acuña was hurt in the Braves’ 8-1 win at Pittsburgh on Sunday. After opening the game with a double, Acuña started toward third on a stolen base attempt. His left knee gave way when he stopped in an attempt to return to second base.

Atlanta announced Sunday night an MRI showed a complete ACL tear that will require surgery.

Acuña tore his right ACL on July 20, 2021. He returned on April 28, 2022, after missing Atlanta’s first 19 games of the season.

Atlanta has lost two top players to season-ending injuries in the first two months of the season. All-Star right-hander Spencer Strider’s season ended on April 13 when he had internal brace surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.