Braves activate Ronald Acuna Jr., DFA Alex Dickerson

Ronald Acuna Jr. is back. The Braves announced this morning that they have reinstated their star outfielder from the 10-day injured list – the culmination of a nine-and-a-half-month rehabilitation process following a torn ACL last July. That’s a bit of a surprise, as the Braves were aiming for a May 6 comeback according to manager Brian Snitker, although Snitker acknowledged at the time of this statement that the date wasn’t set in stone. In a corresponding roster move, Atlanta named the outfielder Alex Dickerson for assignment.

Acuna, 24, is one of the most dynamic talents in the game and indeed has been since the moment he reached the Majors at the age of 21 in 2018. After a difficult few weeks to start this original promotion of MLB, Acuna shed an absolute tear and finished the 2018 campaign as the near-unanimous winner of Rookie of the Year, claiming 27 of 30 first-place votes (including two for Juan Soto and one goes to Walker Buhler).

Acuna hit 26 homers and slid 16 bases as a rookie, hitting a .293/.366/.552 clip along the way. He’s kept that pace in the three seasons since that time, and will come off the injured list looking to build on a career batting line of .281/.376/.549 and add to his already impressive tally. of 105 big league home runs (not to mention 78 doubles, seven triples and 78 interceptions).

While some fans may be worried about Acuna being sent back to the big leagues, he certainly hasn’t shown any rust in his limited work with Triple-A Gwinnett thus far. It’s only six games and 25 plate appearances, but Acuna is 7-for-19 with a brace, six walks and three stolen bases (in three tries), which certainly paints a picture of someone whose serious knee injury is firmly behind him. And, given that the Braves’ outfield is producing — or rather, failing to produce — at an alarming level, the Atlanta brass have opted to take proactive steps to breathe some life into the offense.

Marcell Ozuna got off to a good start in left field, hitting .257/.291/.486 with four home runs and five doubles this year. It’s a bit light in the OBP department, but the power output generally made up for Ozuna’s lack of steps. The rest of Atlanta’s outfield, however, was nothing short of a disaster. Adam Duval reached 0.197/0.250/0.258 in 72 plate appearances. Eddie Rosario batted .068/.163/.091 in 49 plate appearances before undergoing eye surgery that will sideline him for up to 12 weeks. Guillermo Heredia reached 0.158/0.273/0.368 in 22 plate appearances. The Braves got some production in small infielder-turned-utility samples Orlando Arcia and former prospect Travis Demerittebut it’s clear the current roster wasn’t enough for a team with plans to defend a World Series championship.

Dickerson, at whose expense Acuna returns, has also been a notable culprit when it comes to the Braves’ general lack of offense. Signed in late spring to a one-year contract, he was used primarily as a designated hitter against the right-handed pitcher, but only went 4-for-33 with an extra hit (a home run) while hitting in a quarter of his 36 appearances on set.

Dickerson, 31, has generally been a productive hitter in his big league career when healthy, although the health caveat has grown in prominence. Dickerson was out for the entirety of the 2017-18 seasons thanks to Tommy John surgery and back surgery, and he spent a lot of time on the injured reserve even during his active seasons. Dating back to the 2019 campaign, he was sent to the injured list with wrist, shoulder, oblique, hamstring and back injuries.

Dickerson was a revelation for the 2019-20 Giants after moving from San Diego to San Francisco in exchange for a minor league reliever Franklin Van Gurp. In 341 plate appearances with the Giants over those two seasons, he raked a .294/.361/.552 clip, smashing 16 homers, 23 doubles and four triples while walking a solid 8.5 clip. % and striking out 19.1% of his plate appearances (slightly south of the league average). Dickerson’s 2021 season, however, included a trio of IL stints due to shoulder strain, back strain and hamstring strain. He posted a reduced slash of .233/.304/.420 last season and is yet to right the ship so far in 2022.

The Braves will have one week to trade Dickerson, place him on outright waiver or release him. Given his track record and an affordable $1million salary on his 2022 contract, it’s possible another club will take a look. It’s equally, if not more plausible, though, that teams are simply waiting for Dickerson to clear the waivers and hope to sign him as a free agent. Because he has more than five years of MLB service, Dickerson can reject an assignment to minors when waivers are waived and keep his salary.