As the top All-Star Game fan vote recipient in the National League, Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. secured a spot on the NL roster ahead of his peers. Now, he’s locked in to participating in the Home Run Derby for the second time in his career.
The 24-year-old announced Monday via his Instagram story that he would take the field at Dodger Stadium for the competition next Monday night. His announcement comes after Mets star Pete Alonso also committed to defend his back-to-back titles.
Acuña didn’t make his debut this season until April 28 after recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season. In 53 games, the three-time All-Star is hitting .274/.369/.433 with eight home runs and 17 stolen bases.
Acuña first participated in the Home Run Derby in 2019 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. As the No. 6 seed, he defeated Josh Bell in the first round, but lost to eventual champion Alonso in the semifinals. His 25 first-round homers were the fourth-most by any player in a single round that season.
Acuña and Alonso will also reportedly be joined by legendary Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, per The Athletic. Pujols, who will play in his 11th All-Star Game the following night, will be making his fifth all-time appearance in the event and first since 2015.
A two-time World Series champion and three-time NL MVP, Pujols recorded his 684th career home run in a win over the Phillies on Sunday.
Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber became the fourth contestant to join the 2022 field, the team announced on Tuesday. In his first season in Philadelphia, the 29-year-old leads the National League with 28 home runs and trails only Aaron Judge–who has 30–for the most home runs in MLB this year.
A 2021 All-Star, Schwarber has seen his batting numbers (.219/.332/.524) take a slight dip through the first half of the 2022 campaign. However, he’s still managed to contribute to the Phillies offense in a major way, racking up 57 RBI in addition to his 28 home runs.
