Walt Weiss Explains What Ronald Acuna Jr.'s Big Game Could Mean for Atlanta

Ronald Acuña Jr. hasn't looked like himself for most of 2026.

The five-time All-Star and 2023 NL MVP entered Thursday's game against the Red Sox hitting .238 with just two home runs through 48 games, numbers that feel almost foreign for a player who once put together a 41-homer, 73-stolen-base season.

A 1-for-20 slump had crept up on him over the past week, and he hadn't gone deep since April 24.

That changed in the sixth inning at Fenway Park when the score was tied 2-2 and the bases were loaded.

Acuña unloaded on a 1-0 sinker from Red Sox reliever Greg Weissert and sent a 417-foot grand slam over the Green Monster, blowing the game open in what became a 10-2 Atlanta win.

It was the fourth grand slam of his career and his first since August 2023.

"It's good to see Ronnie get that big hit," Braves manager Walt Weiss said. "If we get him rolling, it's a game-changer."

Weiss isn't wrong about that.

Acuña's 2026 season has been bumpy for reasons that go beyond the box score.

He dealt with minor injuries earlier in the year, including getting hit by pitches twice against the Nationals on Monday that forced him out of the game, though X-rays came back clean.

Those setbacks have made it tough to find any rhythm at the plate, and the Braves have been open about wanting more from their best offensive players.

Through 49 games this season, Acuña is hitting .238 with three home runs and 16 RBI, well below the standard he set during his MVP campaign and even during his strong 2025 comeback when he slashed .290/.417/.518 in 95 games.

But his strikeout rate still sits below his career average, and a solid walk rate suggests his plate approach hasn't totally broken down even while the production has lagged.

"Baseball is hard sometimes," Acuña said after the game. "You feel good, you don't have results. You feel bad, you have results. But I keep trying every time."

The grand slam grabbed the headlines, but the Braves got production up and down the lineup.

Michael Harris II launched his 13th homer of the season in the seventh inning, and Ozzie Albies capped a three-hit day with a two-run shot in the ninth.

Chris Sale struck out eight across five innings to improve to 8-3 on the year, continuing a stretch where he's fanned at least seven in seven straight starts.

Atlanta sits at 38-19, the best record in baseball, while Boston dropped to 23-32 after finishing a rough homestand going 1-5.

The Braves have won 15 series this season and hold a 31-0 record when leading after eight innings, which says a lot about how deep and steady this roster has been even while some of their biggest offensive names have scuffled.

Austin Riley has voiced his own frustrations about a slow 2026, and the Braves need both him and Acuña clicking for this lineup to reach its ceiling.

If Thursday's grand slam is what gets Acuña going, Weiss might be right that it reshapes the outlook for a team already running away with the NL East.