Ronald Acuna Jr. has irritated meniscus, set for another look - ESPN

Reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. has irritation around his meniscus that should not keep him out for Opening Day, though he is set to undergo further evaluation.

The Atlanta Braves updated Acuna's injury status Saturday after he was scratched from the lineup Friday because of right knee soreness.

Acuna underwent an MRI that revealed the irritation, according to the team. He will meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Monday for additional evaluation.

Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters Friday that he didn't think the injury would have kept Acuna out of the lineup during the regular season but they decided to get the knee looked at.

Acuna tore his ACL in the same knee in 2021, with ElAttrache performing the surgical repair.

Acuna took part in Atlanta's spring game Thursday against the Minnesota Twins but tweaked the knee during a rundown. He was able to take batting practice ahead of Friday's matchup against the Baltimore Orioles before being scratched.

He is coming off a monster 2023, one that saw him become baseball's first 40-70 player with 41 home runs and an NL-leading 73 steals. He also led the NL in on-base percentage (.416), OPS (1.012), hits (217) and runs (149).