Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider Won't Be Ready by Opening Day amid Injuries

Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via The Major League Baseball offseason just began, but the Atlanta Braves already know they will be without multiple marquee names at the start of the 2025 campaign.

"We're planning on not having them on the Opening Day roster," Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday when discussing Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider, per David O'Brien of The Athletic.

"How soon after that, we'll see how that goes. And as we get closer and get into spring training, we'll probably be able to update that."

Acuña suffered a torn ACL that required surgery in May, while Strider underwent internal-brace elbow surgery in April.

This is not the first major injury for either of them.

Acuña also underwent ACL surgery in his other knee in 2021, while Strider underwent Tommy John surgery when he was still in college in 2019. Given that backdrop, it comes as no surprise the Braves are going to take their time when it comes to their returns.

O'Brien noted Anthopoulos previously said Acuña might not be activated until a month or two into the 2025 season, while Strider was expected back early in the campaign.

Atlanta starts the 2025 season on the road against the San Diego Padres on March 27. Its home opener is on April 4 against the division-rival Miami Marlins.

When healthy, Acuña is one of the best players in the entire league with a resume that includes the 2023 National League MVP, the 2018 NL Rookie of the Year, three Silver Slugger awards and four All-Star Game nods.

He played just 49 games this past season but was unstoppable in 2023 while slashing .337/.416/.596 with 41 home runs, 106 RBI and 73 stolen bases. That he was able to play at such a high level despite his previous ACL injury suggests he can do so again in 2025 and beyond.

As for Strider, he made just two starts in 2024, which prevented him from building on his 2023 All-Star campaign that saw him post a 3.86 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a league-best 281 strikeouts in 186.2 innings.

Despite the absence of two of their best players, the Braves still finished in second place in the National League East before losing in the Wild Card Round to the Padres.

While they will need to tread water some in the start of the 2025 campaign without them, the eventual return of Strider and Acuña should help them challenge for another postseason appearance next year.