PITTSBURGH — Ronald Acuña Jr. left the Atlanta Braves' 8-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning Sunday with pain in his left knee after it appeared to buckle.
Wearing a knee brace in the clubhouse, Acuna said he would undergo an MRI Sunday night and expects to be placed on the 10-day injured list.
“I was very scared because I felt the pain at first,” Acuña said through a translator. “We hope everything goes well”.
The reigning National League Most Valuable Player opened the game with a double to right center field off Martín Pérez. With Marcell Ozuna at the plate, Acuña moved toward third on an attempted base steal and his left knee appeared to buckle. He lay there for several minutes while they treated him, pointing to his left leg before walking away under his own power.
Acuña, a 26-year-old outfielder, is hitting .250 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 49 games. The four-time All-Star hit a career-high .337 last season with 41 home runs and 106 RBIs.
Adam Duvall moved from left to right in the bottom half and Jarred Kelenic entered the game in Acuña's place and played on the left. Kelenic went 3-for-4 in place of Acuña.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
