PITTSBURGH — Ronald Acuna Jr. left the Atlanta Braves’ 8-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning Sunday with left knee soreness after the knee appeared to buckle.
Wearing a brace on his knee in the clubhouse, Acuna said he would have an MRI on Sunday night and expects to be placed on the 10-day injured list.
“I got scared a lot because I felt the pain in the beginning,” Acuna said through a translator. “Hopefully, everything is going to go well.”
The reigning National League MVP led off the game with a double to right-center field off Martin Perez. With Marcell Ozuna at the plate, Acuna started toward third on a stolen base attempt and his left knee appeared to buckle. He remained down for several minutes while being treated, pointing at his left leg before walking off under his own power.
Acuna, a 26-year-old outfielder, is batting .250 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 49 games. The four-time All-Star hit a career-best .337 last season with 41 homers and 106 RBIs.
Adam Duvall shifted from left to right in the bottom half, and Jarred Kelenic entered the game in place of Acuna and played left. Kelenic went 3-for-4 in place of Acuna.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
