Ronald Acuna poised to make MLB debut in mid-April, per report

We have heard a lot about Ronald Acuna recently and with good reason. After being named the top prospect in the Braves’ farm system by everyone and the top prospect in all of baseball by NEARLY every publication, the hype around Acuna’s expected 2018 debut has been real.

Many fans want to see Ronald Acuna in the Braves’ outfield starting on Opening Day in 2018 and he has not done anything this spring to squelch that enthusiasm as he has been arguably the best performing hitter on the team this spring while excelling on defense as well.

However, there are service time considerations to take into account and the Braves can gain an entire year of control by keeping Acuna down in the minors for the first few weeks of the season. All of that said, it doesn’t look like we will have to wait for long.

There are several interesting notes in Bowman’s article about the expected arrivals of Mike Soroka, Austin Riley, and others so make sure to give this a read, but the biggest news is that the Braves’ plans for Acuna appear to be all but set.

If the Braves wait until April 13th to call up Acuna to the majors, that will allow them to get an extra year of contractual control which, given how good many of think he will be, is the smart business decision even though you will struggle to find fans that want to wait to see in the Braves’ lineup. The Braves will be visiting the Chicago Cubs on that date. the smarter money may be on having Acuna debut at SunTrust Park a few days later to kick off a seven-game homestand so that Braves fans will be able to flock to see his debut.

The news is hardly surprising given the monetary stakes for the Braves especially given the expectations on Acuna. While it may be disappointing for some, at the very least it appears that the Braves are not going to keep fans waiting for long.