This certainly won’t be going on the Atlanta Braves’ 2024 highlight reel, that’s for sure.
On Sunday, the Braves hosted the San Diego Padres for a National League matchup, with Atlanta trailing the MLB-leading Philadelphia Phillies by 4.5 games. Coming off a blistering MVP season last year, Ronald Acuña Jr. hasn’t had the follow up year he’s been looking for with a .245 batting average and a .358 OBP in the first few months of the season.
And perhaps nothing might showcase Acuña’s struggles more this season than this absolutely botched routine fly ball. During the top of the fourth, with the Braves down 6-0, Manny Machado hit an easy ball right at Acuña for what should have been the second out of the inning. Instead … Acuña dropped the ball right out of his glove for a brutal error.
Acuña 😬 pic.twitter.com/ewhtdJtaPl
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 20, 2024
Yikes! Acuña didn’t even have to travel far to get in the path of the ball either, so that error is all on him for making such a blasé attempt at a catch. Acuña’s error also cost the Braves a run, as Jurickson Profar went to third on the botched play, then Xander Bogaerts hit a sacrifice fly later in the inning to drive him home.
Not the kind of effort you want to see from last year’s MVP!
Baseball fans roasted Ronald Acuña Jr. for this brutal drop against the Padres
https://t.co/bYAJ5H7W5Q pic.twitter.com/mkNzP0N89y
— Steve Benko (@SteveBenko) May 20, 2024
Braves out here playing like the Mets 😭😭 https://t.co/IcP2LzUEzo
— 187.Kendrick♨️🦍 (@187Kendrick) May 20, 2024
reigning mvp btw https://t.co/HU3oDYuqaz
— jack (@loljackwho) May 20, 2024
How could the Phillies easy schedule do this to them?!?! https://t.co/iWRXXFlPRW
— Joey (@BrosephBiscuit) May 20, 2024
Controller unplugged https://t.co/Y3p2yKXl3d
— . (@AhnRee__) May 20, 2024
you almost have to feel bad for him at this point (almost) https://t.co/wPgHpXluW4
— tommaso (@sillynous) May 20, 2024
