4 Ronald Acuña Jr. replacements the Braves may need for Opening Day

The Atlanta Braves were dealt their first bit of bad news on Friday when Ronald Acuña Jr. was scratched from Friday’s lineup. It turns out that what they thought was a minor issue might be a bit more severe, as an MRI revealed that he’s dealing with meniscus irritation.

The Braves don’t seem overly concerned and believe Acuña will be ready to go for Opening Day, but setbacks happen and the Braves have little reason to rush their MVP knowing that they’re playing for October.

Everyone hopes Acuña will be in the lineup leading off when the Braves head to Citizens Bank Park for Opening Day, but in the chance that he’s unable to play, Atlanta might need any of these three players to step in.

4. The Braves might need to sign Tommy Pham by Opening Day

Whether Acuña is ready to go or not, the Braves could use a fourth outfielder upgrade. As of now, their fourth outfielder would likely be one of Forrest Wall or J.P. Martinez. Nothing against either of those players, but the Braves can and should do better there.

For whatever reason, there are several quality outfielders still sitting on the free agency market waiting to be signed. Tommy Pham is one of them, and makes a whole lot of sense for Atlanta.

Pham is coming off a bit of a resurgent season, putting up his best offensive year since the 2019 campaign. He split the season with the Mets and Diamondbacks, slashing .256/.328/.446 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI. He was one of the few bright spots on a bad Mets team and wound up hitting in the middle of the order for a Diamondbacks team that made it all the way to the World Series.

Pham can play every day in the event that Acuña needs to miss time, and can also be a solid fourth outfielder when all three of their starting outfielders are healthy. He’d make for a strong potential platoon option with Jarred Kelenic considering the fact that he had a .787 OPS against lefties this past season and has an .834 OPS against southpaws in his career.

3. The Braves might need to bring Adam Duvall back by Opening Day

Adam Duvall has spent parts of five seasons with the Braves during his 10-year career. It hasn’t all been pretty, but he was a part of the 2021 World Series-winning team, and happens to be coming off of an excellent season.

Duvall only played in 92 games for the Red Sox this past season, but had a great offensive year, slashing .247/.303/.531 with 21 home runs and 58 RBI. 21 home runs in 92 games is awfully impressive, and shows the kind of power Duvall has.

The veteran is certainly good enough to play every day somewhere, but he remains unsigned into March. With that in mind, perhaps he’ll be willing to accept a bit of a lesser role. If that’s the case, perhaps he’ll entertain returning to Atlanta where he’ll have a golden opportunity to win another World Series ring.

Duvall can play all three outfield positions and with Cody Bellinger finally off the board, is the clear-cut best outfielder available. He can start in a pinch or come off the bench and be an instant home run threat. It’s probably unlikely Duvall would be willing to sign with the Braves just because he’d rarely see the field when everyone is healthy, but that’s a situation Alex Anthopoulos should be monitoring. We know Duvall can do well in a Braves uniform, and he’d be a huge addition.

2. The Braves can improve their defense by signing Michael A. Taylor

A fourth outfielder is something the Braves should have been looking into even before Acuña’s injury, but now depth is more important than ever with their superstar potentially out. A really strong outfielder who might be willing to accept a traditional fourth outfielder role is Michael A. Taylor.

The 32-year-old Taylor is one of the best defenders in the league. He only has one Gold Glove to his name, but he’s consistently one of the better center fielders defensively in the sport. This past season he ranked in the 94th percentile in outs above average according to Baseball Savant.

He’s not as good of a hitter as players like Duvall or Pham, but boy, can he go get ’em in the outfield. He’s primarily a center fielder but can play either corner spot if need be. Even with the bat, he impressed a little bit this past season, hitting a career-high 21 home runs for the Twins.

He can start in right field if Acuña has to miss time and can be a defensive replacement for Jarred Kelenic late in games as well. Kelenic ranked in the 46th percentile in OAA according to Baseball Savant this past season.

He isn’t a great hitter, but with this Braves lineup, he doesn’t have to be. He can run, and he can defend at an elite level. He’d be a solid addition for the Braves.

1. The Braves might need the J.P. Martinez trade to pay off right away

The Braves made several trades this offseason, but one that flew under the radar a bit saw them land J.P. Martinez in a deal with the Rangers. Martinez didn’t have much room in a crowded Rangers outfield, but has a chance to make the Opening Day roster in Atlanta whether Acuña is healthy or not.

Martinez put up an excellent .963 OPS in the minors last season but had just a .575 OPS in 44 MLB plate appearances with the Rangers after getting called up in August. Martinez makes sense as a bench player for Atlanta as he can play all three outfield positions at an admirable level, but his lack of MLB experience should give them cause to pause.

Atlanta could turn to a player like Forrest Wall who is on their 40-man roster to instead fill in for Acuña or even NRI’s like Jordan Luplow or Eli White, but the Braves traded for Martinez for a reason. There’s a good chance that if Acuña has to miss time, we’ll see lots of Martinez to begin the season.

The leash will be short for J.P., but the fact that he was just acquired and is already on the 40-man makes him a more likely option than anyone else. If Martinez is indeed handed the reigns, the Braves will need the 27-year-old to perform right away.

This article was originally published on fansided.com as 4 Ronald Acuña Jr. replacements the Braves may need for Opening Day.