Ronald Acuna Jr is out for the SEASON as Braves announce National League MVP suffered torn ACL against Pirates

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr is out for the season after tearing his ACL in Sunday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team has announced.

Braves fans were holding their collective breath after seeing the star right fielder and reigning National League MVP limp off the field following an apparent non-contact injury to his left knee.

Acuna was taking a lead off of second base in Pittsburgh against the Pirates when he quickly tried to return to the bag, only to crumble to the infield dirt while holding his leg.

Officially, the Braves said Acuna left Sunday's game in Pittsburgh due to 'left knee soreness'. Left fielder Adam Duvall moved to right field in the second inning to replace Acuna, while Jarred Kelenic came on in left.

And later on Sunday evening, Atlanta confirmed the worst after announcing that their star man torn his anterior cruciate ligament, bringing his season to an abrupt end.

'OF Ronald Acuña Jr. tonight underwent an MRI that revealed a complete tear of the ACL in his left knee,' they wrote. 'He is set to undergo surgery at a date yet to be determined and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.'

The 26-year-old Venezuelan previously suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in 2021, causing him to miss the second half of that season.

Acuna led off the game with a double against Pittsburgh's Martin Perez amid an uncharacteristic slow start for the four-time All-Star. He’s hitting just .246 for the year with a mere four home runs.

A year ago, Acuna batted .337 with an 8.1 WAR (wins above replacement), the latter of which ranked behind only Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. 

It's also been a difficult year for Acuna in the field, where he recently dropped an easy fly ball in Atlanta's May 20 loss to the San Diego Padres. 

Acuna was playing in right with Padres star Manny Machado floated an easy popup into the outfield. 

He appeared to have a good read on the ball, but simply dropped it to the shock of the commentators and those in attendance.

Fans then blasted Acuna for not converting the easy out.

'Did Acuna just forget how to baseball?' one MLB fan said on social media. 

'Never put your glove in front of your eyes when catching a fly. Learned that in little league,' another fan stated. 

'Bro is so washed,' one person said of Acuna with a skull emoji. 

'Dude looks like he took the off-season training completely off after mvp,' another baseball fan said on X. 

'Even the best fail at the simplest things,' a baseball fan concluded.