Final Night time in Baseball: Ronald Acuna Jr., MVP-Caliber Participant, is Really Again

There may be at all times baseball taking place — nearly an excessive amount of baseball for one individual to deal with themselves.

That is why we’re right here to assist, although, by sifting by means of the earlier days’ video games, and determining what you missed, however should not have. Listed below are all the perfect moments from final night time in Main League Baseball:

Acuña is again, child

Ronald Acuña Jr. didn’t make his 2025 debut till Could 24, as he was recovering from his second torn ACL and subsequent reconstructive surgical procedure to restore it. The Braves’ proper fielder had a little bit of a disappointing begin to 2024, as nicely, however given the damage, he didn’t have time to course appropriate and correctly follow-up his Nationwide League MVP-winning 2023 season, by which Acuna hit .337/.416/.596 with 41 homers and 73 stolen bases. He led the majors in on-base proportion, steals, runs, and hits, the NL in OPS and OPS+, and have become the first-ever 40/70 participant within the historical past of the sport, in addition to simply the fifth participant to put up a 40/40 season (Shohei Ohtani would make it six in 2024, when he turned the first-ever 50/50 participant).

It’s been only a month, sure, however it feels fairly protected to say that the Acuna everybody was ready for in 2024 earlier than he blew out his knee is now again. He went deep in opposition to the Mets on Monday night time, and whereas it was a solo shot, in a recreation the Braves gained by the rating of 3-2? It was an enormous blast.

He’s now batting .396/.500/.713 with 9 homers and a 233 OPS+, and, within the final 10 days, has even began stealing bases once more: he didn’t have a single base theft from Could 23 by means of June 12, however now has three on the season. It was the ultimate lacking piece that really made him Acuña, and it is now again in place.

With simply 28 video games and 122 plate appearances beneath his belt, Acuna doesn’t qualify because the league chief in something for the time being, however that doesn’t matter that a lot for Atlanta. What’s vital is that Acuna is again, and he’s mashing, and the Braves nonetheless have life to them due to it, even when they haven’t crawled again out of their sub-.500 gap simply but. In the event that they handle to, Acuna goes to be the rationale why.

De La Cruz vs. the Yankees

The Yankees have been going by means of it of late. They snapped their six-game dropping streak final Thursday, however are nonetheless 3-8 over their final 11 and 10-11 in June general, with the most recent of these losses coming in opposition to the Reds on Monday. A lot of that was courtesy of Elly De La Cruz, who has been principally the other of the Yankees in June, in that he can’t cease hitting. He’s as much as .272/.348/.513 with 18 homers and 21 steals on the season, good for a career-high 129 OPS+, and with a career-low strikeout charge of 25.7%. Which may nonetheless sound like lots, however contemplate that De La Cruz led the majors in strikeouts final 12 months with 218 of them after whiffing 31.3% of the time, and was at 33.7% the 12 months earlier than that. Slicing six proportion factors off is huge, and t’s displaying up in his line.

Anyway, the new-and-improved De La Cruz hit a triple in opposition to the Yankees to tie the rating up, 1-1…

…after which within the eighth went yard to increase Cincinnati’s result in 5-1. 

De La Cruz has now hit .333/.416/.747 with 10 homers and 19 extra-base hits general within the final month, and he’s struck out simply 19.5% of the time in that 113-plate look stretch, too. Since he’s been up for just a few years already, it’s simple to overlook that he’s all of 23 years previous, and already had his birthday earlier this season: we could be watching De La Cruz go from child with potential to real star.

Raleigh homers for fourth consecutive recreation

You are not going to imagine this, however Cal Raleigh hit one other house run. The MLB chief is now as much as 32 on the season, with Aaron Choose nonetheless 4 behind since Massive Dumper hit his personal blast on Monday, as nicely. 

You simply cannot go away a pitch up within the zone like that to Raleigh proper now, or, nicely, that can occur. Each homer he hits earlier than the All-Star break extends the file for lengthy balls for a switch-hitter and for a main catcher previous to that date.

What’s a bit of humorous about Raleigh’s season is that it did not really begin out all that nicely. He hit just a few homers early on, sure, however after his first 14 video games, his OPS was a reasonably pedestrian .680. Since April 12, a 62-game stretch, Raleigh is batting .299/.405/.727 with 29 homers and an 1.132 OPS. Fairly good.

Wooden has an opportunity at some Nats’ historical past

The Nationals don’t have any scarcity of promising younger gamers that they’ve known as up over time. You do not even must dip into the Montreal Expos portion of their franchise historical past for that to be true. James Wooden is one such participant – acquired from the Padres within the 2022 Juan Soto commerce, he debuted within the majors in 2024, as a 21-year-old.  

Whereas dealing with the Padres on Monday, Wooden went 3-for-5 with a house run and 4 RBIs, bringing his season line as much as .284/.379/.569. That homer was additionally notable for one more motive, in that it was the thirty first of his profession, hit in recreation no. 158. As MLB identified, that ties Wooden with Bryce Harper and Juan Soto for probably the most in Nationals/Expos historical past for a participant of their first 162 profession video games… and Wooden has 4 extra to go to take first place for himself. Not unhealthy firm to be in while you’re nonetheless simply 22.

Clarke is making spectacular catches look routine

Denzel Clarke hasn’t been in a position to determine major-league pitching but, however he is bought hitters found out. He did not rob a house run or crash right into a fence this time, no, however have a look at him vary:

Whereas this catch was from final week, it was named the winner of MLB’s sponsored defensive play of the week – the fourth such honor for Clarke. In a row. He is solely been within the majors for a month! If he can determine methods to hit even a bit of bit, he’ll have an MLB profession stuffed with highlights.

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