NEW YORK (AP) — The Atlanta Braves activated outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. from the injured list on Monday after the 2023 National League MVP missed almost seven weeks with a left hamstring strain.
Acuña is expected to be available for Monday night's opener of a three-game series at the New York Mets.
The five-time All-Star is hitting .251 with seven home runs, 22 RBIs and 15 steals. His season has been shortened by two hamstring injuries. He missed 15 games in May with the same injury.
When Acuña was placed on the injured list on June 9, the Braves topped the majors with a 45-23 record and led the NL East by eight games over Philadelphia. Atlanta struggled in June without Acuña but has rebounded following the All-Star break and at 62-43 leads the second-place Phillies by 5 1/2 games.
Acuña also has suffered two serious knee injuries in his career. He sustained a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in May 2024 and tore his right ACL midway through the 2021 season.
Though Acuña split time in his rehabilitation stint at designated hitter and in the outfield, Braves manager Walt Weiss recently said he expects Acuña will play primarily in right field, his normal position.
The Braves optioned outfielder Brewer Hicklen to Triple-A Gwinnett.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. (13) steals third base against Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto (7) in the fifth inning of a baseball game on June 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 2-8:
Aug. 2: Singer Kathy Lennon of The Lennon Sisters is 83. Actor Joanna Cassidy is 81. Actor Kathryn Harrold is 76. Actor Butch Patrick (“The Munsters”) is 73. Music producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig is 71. Actor Victoria Jackson (“Saturday Night Live”) is 67. Actor Apollonia is 67. Actor Cynthia Stevenson (“Men In Trees,” “Hope and Gloria”) is 64. Actor Mary-Louise Parker is 62. Director-actor Kevin Smith (“Clerks,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”) is 56. Actor Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) is 50. Actor Edward Furlong is 49. “Today” meteorologist Dylan Dreyer is 45. Actor Marci Miller (“Days of Our Lives”) is 41. Singer Charli xcx is 34. Actor Hallie Eisenberg is 34.
Aug. 3: Actor Martin Sheen is 86. Singer Beverly Lee of The Shirelles is 85. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 85. Movie director John Landis is 76. Actor Jo Marie Payton (“Family Matters”) is 76. Actor Philip Casnoff (“Oz,” “Strong Medicine”) is 72. Actor John C. McGinley (“Scrubs”) is 67. Bassist Lee Rocker (Stray Cats) is 65. Actor Lisa Ann Walter (“Abbott Elementary”) is 65. Singer-guitarist James Hetfield of Metallica is 63. Singer Ed Roland of Collective Soul is 63. Actor Isaiah Washington (“Grey’s Anatomy,” ″Soul Food”) is 63. Keyboardist Dean Sams of Lonestar is 60. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter of Deftones is 56. Musician Spinderella of Salt-N-Pepa is 55. Actor Brigid Brannagh (“CSI,” “Army Wives”) is 54. Actor Michael Ealy (“Think Like a Man,” ″Barbershop”) is 53. Violinist Jimmy De Martini of Zac Brown Band is 50. Actor Evangeline Lilly (“Lost”) is 47. Actor Mamie Gummer (“The Good Wife”) is 43. Singer Holly Arnstein of Dream is 41. Actor Georgina Haig (“Once Upon a Time”) is 41. Bassist Brent Kutzle of OneRepublic is 41. Rapper D.R.A.M. is 38.
Aug. 4: Actor Tina Cole (“My Three Sons”) is 83. Actor Billy Bob Thornton is 71. Actor Kym Karath (“The Sound of Music”) is 68. Actor Lauren Tom (“Joy Luck Club,” “Men in Trees”) is 67. Producer Michael Gelman (“Live with Kelly and Ryan”) is 65. Actor Crystal Chappell (“Guiding Light”) is 61. Drummer Rob Cieka of Boo Radleys is 58. Actor Daniel Dae Kim (“Hawaii Five-O,” “Lost”) is 58. Actor Michael DeLuise (“Gilmore Girls,” “NYPD Blue”) is 57. Rapper Yo-Yo (“Miss Rap Supreme”) is 55. Singer-actor Marques Houston of Immature is 45. Actor-turned-princess Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, (“Suits”) is 45. Actor-director Greta Gerwig is 43. “American Idol” runner-up Crystal Bowersox is 41. Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse (“The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” “Grace Under Fire”) are 34. “American Idol” runner-up Jessica Sanchez is 31.
Aug. 5: Actor Erika Slezak (“One Life to Live”) is 80. Actor-turned-journalist Holly Palance (“Under Fire,” “The Omen”) is 76. Singer Samantha Sang is 75. Guitarist Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister is 71. Actor Maureen McCormick (“The Brady Bunch”) is 70. Guitarist Pat Smear of Foo Fighters is 67. Country fiddler Mark O’Connor is 65. Actor Mark Strong (“The Imitation Game”) is 63. Director James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) is 60. Actor Jonathan Silverman (“The Single Guy”) is 60. Country singer Terri Clark is 58. Actor Stephanie Szostak (“A Million Little Things”) is 55. Cellist Eicca Toppinen of Apocalyptica is 51. Drummer Whit Sellers of Old Dominion is 48. Actor Jesse Williams (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 46. Actor Albert Tsai (“Dr. Ken”) is 22. Actor Devin Trey Campbell (“Single Parents”) is 18.
Aug. 6: Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 88. Actor Louise Sorel (“Days of Our Lives”) is 86. Actor Ray Buktenica (“Rhoda”) is 83. Actor Dorian Harewood is 76. Actor Catherine Hicks (“Seventh Heaven”) is 75. Singer Pat MacDonald of Timbuk 3 is 74. Actor Stepfanie Kramer (“Hunter”) is 70. Actor Faith Prince is 69. Singer Randy DeBarge of DeBarge is 68. Actor Leland Orser (“ER”) is 67. Actor Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) is 64. Country singers Peggy and Patsy Lynn of The Lynns are 62. Actor Jeremy Ratchford (“Cold Case”) is 61. Actor Benito Martinez (“American Crime,” “The Shield”) is 58. Country singer Lisa Stewart is 58. Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense”) is 56. Actor Merrin Dungey (“Summerland,” ″Alias”) is 55. Singer Geri Halliwell Horner of Spice Girls is 54. Actor Jason O’Mara (“Life on Mars”) is 54. Actor Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air,” “The Departed”) is 53. Actor Soleil Moon Frye (“Sabrina The Teenage Witch,” ″Punky Brewster”) is 50. Actor Melissa George (“Alias,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) is 50. Singer Travis “Travie” McCoy of Gym Class Heroes is 45. Actor Leslie Odom Jr. (stage: “Hamilton,” TV: “Smash”) is 45. Bassist Eric Roberts of Gym Class Heroes is 42.
Aug. 7: Humorist Garrison Keillor is 84. Actor John Glover (“Smallville”) is 82. Actor David Rasche (“Sledge Hammer!”) is 82. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 76. Actor Caroline Aaron (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) is 74. Actor Wayne Knight (“Seinfeld”) is 71. Singer Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden is 68. Actor David Duchovny (“Californication,” “The X-Files”) is 66. Actor Delane Matthews (“Dave’s World”) is 65. Actor Harold Perrineau (“Lost,” ″Oz”) is 63. Jazz pianist Marcus Roberts is 63. Country singer Raul Malo of The Mavericks is 61. Actor David Mann (“Madea” films) is 60. Actor Sydney Penny (“The Thorn Birds,” ″All My Children”) is 55. Actor Greg Serano (“Power”) is 54. Actor Michael Shannon (“George and Tammy,” “The Flash”) is 52. Actor Charlize Theron is 51. Drummer Barry Kerch of Shinedown is 50. Actor Eric Johnson (“Fifty Shades Darker,” “Smallville”) is 47. Actor Liam James (TV’s “Psych,” film’s “The Way, Way Back”) is 30.
Aug. 8: Actor Nita Talbot is 96. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 89. Actor Connie Stevens is 88. Country singer Phil Balsley of The Statler Brothers is 87. Actor Larry Wilcox (“CHiPS”) is 79. Actor Keith Carradine (“Madam Secretary”) is 77. Drummer Anton Fig (“Late Show With David Letterman”) is 73. Actor Donny Most (“Happy Days”) is 73. Keyboardist Dennis Drew of 10,000 Maniacs is 69. Actor-turned-investment banker Harry Crosby (“Friday the 13th”) is 68. News anchor Deborah Norville is 68. Guitarist The Edge of U2 is 65. Drummer Rikki Rockett of Poison is 65. Rapper Kool Moe Dee is 64. Singer Scott Stapp of Creed is 53. Country singer Mark Wills is 53. Actor Kohl Sudduth (TV’s “Jesse Stone” movies) is 52. Guitarist Tom Linton of Jimmy Eat World is 51. Singer J.C. Chasez of ’N Sync is 50. Actor Tawny Cypress (“Heroes”) is 50. Singer Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees is 50. Singer Marsha Ambrosius (Floetry) is 49. Actor Lindsay Sloane (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”) is 49. Actor Countess Vaughn (“The Parkers,” “Moesha”) is 48. Actor Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”) is 46. Actor Meagan Good (“Think Like a Man”) is 45. Guitarist Eric Howk of Portugal. The Man is 45. Actor Jackie Cruz (“Orange Is the New Black”) is 42. Actor Ken Baumann (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager”) is 37. Singer Shawn Mendes is 28. Actor Bebe Wood (“The Real O’Neals”) is 25.
FILE - Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, takes part in the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, Australia, April 16, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Michelle Yeoh poses for a portrait to promote "Blade Runner 2099" during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 24, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
