Following his surgery, as he began his rehabilitation, Ronald Acuña Jr.’s support system inundated him with positive messages. The young superstar was understandably upset and didn’t want to do rehab after tearing the ACL in his right knee.
“Ronald was a little frustrated at first, of course, because he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to play again,” said Alexander Salazar through interpreter Génesis González, who works for REP1 Baseball, the agency that represents Acuña. The statements were offered to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Also read: Johan Santana on the Mets’ No Hit No Run: It’s a good thing for team chemistry
Salazar, an agent for REP1 Baseball who also runs an academy in Venezuela, accompanied the sabanero every step of his way to recovery. In Los Angeles, in Venezuela, during the operation, after the surgery, during the rehabilitation. You name it, Salazar experienced it.
After the operation, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the procedure, told Ronald’s son that the trip back to the field had two components: 50% was the surgery, but the other half would be the work Acuña put into his rehabilitation. His family and those around him continue to try to remind him on a daily basis.
Ronald Acuña Jr. advances with his knee recovery and is already batting. 💠⚾ï¸pic.twitter.com/a8xvb6mVSc
— MLB in Spanish (@MLBenesp) November 22, 2021
“For a person like Ronald who is very electric and likes to be playing all the time, it was very difficult at the beginning,” Salazar said. “But as more people talked to him about how he could play again, how rehab would help him, how they saw rehab helping him and how he was getting better – if anything, feeling better than before – that started motivated him a little bit more, and he started to be better about it and less frustrated about it, just knowing that there was hope and there was a chance that he would come back even stronger.”
At the time of the unfortunate injury, Acuña was among the favorites for the National League Most Valuable Player Award. So could he have used last year to improve even more? That is unfathomable, but Salazar believes that to be the case.
Also read: Jesús Luzardo reaches 200 strikeouts and establishes himself with the Marlins (+Videos)
He said this because he thinks that the rehabilitation, which lasted about 10 months, made him stronger physically and mentally. “I think there’s always a feeling of gratitude,” the tough slugger said last Thursday at the Braves’ headquarters, through interpreter Franco Garcia. “I thank God for putting me through that experience because I think it helped me grow as a player and as a person.”
Acuña worked with a lot of people during rehab. He worked with the Tomahawks’ head physical therapist, Nick Valencia, and with the team’s coaches. He saw some affiliated with Dr. ElAttrache and when he left Los Angeles to come to Venezuela, Salazar assembled a team of trainers to work with Acuña.
Something that could benefit him: Instead of strengthening just his legs, or select parts of his body, he worked his entire anatomy. He never had. Many times in the past two months, Aboriginal manager Brian Snitker applauded Acuna’s body as he entered spring training and said it served as a testament to the 24-year-old’s work ethic.
Courtesy
“The fans are going to see a better version of him because he’s stronger – not just physically, but mentally – and in general it’s going to show them not the same, but a much better version than he was before,” Salazar said.
Acuña hadn’t hit for a few months, but at the time, Salazar said, it didn’t show. On a field in Venezuela, not far from the surgery, he was hitting balls that almost went out of the entire ballpark.
This is Ronald Acuna. He has the “wow” factor, which regularly leaves you in awe. He possesses a rare talent.
Also read: José Altuve advances to return soon to the Houston Astros (+ Video)
“Every time you see him do something, it continues to impress you because you know there’s no end to it,” Salazar said. “It’s endless for him. He never seems to fail to impress.”
Acuña is one of the best players in the world. He can hit, drive, run, field and throw. And he does everything very well. Even at a young age, he is equipped to be a superstar.
“Because he has all five tools,” Braves third base coach Ron Washington said. “You don’t hear about the five tools anymore. … In the past, you only needed to have three. Nowadays, all you need to have is one. It still has five, and it can appear at any point in a ball game “.
Ronald Acuña Jr. continues with his recovery, and is already in the batting cage without any restrictions. 🔥🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/bgGA5H9j6Z
— MLB in Spanish (@MLBenesp) January 7, 2022
For his part, third baseman Austin Riley added: “For me, for him, it’s just the talent that he has, that he does enough for himself right there. His pressure is different, everything is different about him. He’s a superstar, and it’s fun.” to see”.
It’s something he was definitely born with.
The only real challenge he faced in rehab was one of his own making: He started overworking himself. If a physical therapist told him to jump to 30%, he wanted to give 80%, and they had to stop him from doing it.
“He wanted to keep trying harder and harder,” Salazar said.
Acuña on Thursday was ready. He said that he felt like he could play a 9-inning game during the second week of spring training. And when the Braves sent him on a rehab assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett, he seemed to be playing as hard as he would have in a Major League game.
Now, it’s back.
Also read: MLB: George Springer applies it to his ex-Astros and equals Jimmy Rollins (+Videos)
Both Salazar and Washington described him as someone who is not the same on and off the field. Off the field, he is quiet, quiet and a bit shy, Salazar said. And in the clubhouse, Washington said, he sits with his thoughts and does his work during the day.
But once he gets out on the field, there’s no one like him. He has superstar talent.
“It’s something he was definitely born with,” Salazar said. “It is not something that is learned or acquired.”
Fuente: Atlanta Journal Constitution
