Atlanta’s Sidelined Superstar Can Picture Himself Out There
The New York Times
Ronald Acuña Jr. is disappointed that an injury has kept him out of the World Series. But, the All-Star outfielder said, “it’s my turn to be on the bench supporting my teammates.”
HOUSTON — As Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler stepped into the batter’s box on Tuesday for the first at-bat of the 2021 World Series, one his teammates sitting in the dugout pretended he was up there instead. It’s not that outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. wants to take Soler’s job; it’s that he misses doing his.
“In all of the moments, even in the key ones, I’m imagining myself there taking that at-bat,” Acuña said in Spanish on Wednesday before Game 2 against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
In reaching the World Series for the first time since 1999, Atlanta overcame a major obstacle: the absence of their best player.
