Ronald Acuna was to his team what Fernando Tatis Jr. was to the Padres. By last summer, two years after he’d put up 41 home runs and 37 stolen bases, the young Braves star was steaming toward the All-Star break with 24 home runs and a .394 on-base percentage.
Then it ended July 10 when, as Acuna gave chase in right field, a knee ligament ruptured.
Acuna was 23, the same age as Tatis, the Padres shortstop who’ll miss a chunk of the upcoming season with a fractured wrist.