Ronald Acuña Jr. was unable to finish Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Atlanta Braves star fouled off a pitch that struck the inside of his left leg.

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Ronald Acuña Jr. has left the game tonight after fouling a ball off his left leg pic.twitter.com/qGYJGX8xTr

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 23, 2026

During the game, the Braves provided an update. The team said that Acuña has a “left shin contusion” and that X-rays were negative. The outfielder is considered day-to-day.

The outfielder looked like he was trying to walk it off, but he couldn't get past it and went down on the field. A trainer came out, and it looked like Acuña was in a lot of pain. He left the field, was pulled from the game, and was replaced by Brewer Hicklen.

Acuña missed time earlier this season due to a hamstring strain. He initially sustained the injury in May and then aggravated it again in early June. This caused him to miss more than a month and a half of action, and he didn't return until July 27.

The good news is that the Braves have already clinched both a postseason berth and the National League East title. The bad news is that if this injury is serious enough that Acuña needs to be added to the IL, any stint would affect his availability for Atlanta's first playoff series.

If Acuña is indeed sidelined for part of the Braves' playoff run, it would not be the first time he has missed out. The outfielder tore his right ACL in July 2021, months before the Braves went on to win the World Series over the Houston Astros.

The 28-year-old is the face of Atlanta's lineup, serving as the leadoff hitter. This season, he has played in 103 games and is slashing /.260/.352/.463 with 20 home runs, 55 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.

Acuña is three years removed from a dominant 2023 campaign where he tallied 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases for the first 40-70 season in MLB history.

The Braves have five more regular season games before the playoffs begin next week. If Acuña is sidelined, Atlanta will have to shuffle around its lineup, likely playing catchers Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy in the same lineup with one as the DH. This would free up Mike Yastrzemski to take over in right field, but the Braves could also go with Hicklen or Dominic Smith as well.

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The Detroit Lions announced re-signing veteran defensive back Avonte Maddox on Monday. Getty

The Detroit Lions were already shorthanded on defense when they traveled to Buffalo to take on the red-hot Bills, and ended up leaving the Thursday night showdown with both a loss and another hit to the secondary.

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Veteran defensive back Avonte Maddox was hurt during the game, which the team later revealed to be a season-ending foot injury. Head coach Dan Campbell revealed that he would need to undergo surgery, and on Tuesday the Lions made the move official.

Lions Officially Add Avonte Maddox to Injured Reserve

The Lions placed Maddox on injured reserve to start the week, opening up a roster spot that can be used to boost the secondary.

The Lions were already missing their starting safety tandem of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, who both started the season on the reserve/PUP list and will miss at least the first four games.

The Lions did add a bit of help to the secondary, signing safety Bishop Fitzgerald from the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ practice squad and releasing linebacker Joe Bachie. The moves still left the Lions with an open roster spot, which could allow them to sign a defensive back from the practice squad or scan the open market for some help.

Dan Campbell Remains Confident in Defense Despite Rough Start

Despite getting off to a rough start — giving up 30 points to the New Orleans Saints in an overtime win in Week 1 and 41 points to their loss to the Bills on Thursday — Campbell said he was still confident in defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.

“I believe in Sheppard. I believe he’s an outstanding coach. There’s a bump in the road,” Campbell said, via ESPN. “I think this staff is outstanding. That defensive staff.

“It’s a veteran staff, and I think they’re versatile and we’ve got to coach better — and they can coach better, I can coach better, but I believe they’re the right guys to get this thing done.”

Campbell added that help could be coming soon, noting that Ahmed Hassanein and Ennis Rakestraw are making their way back from their own injuries.

“I mean they could,” Campbell said when asked if either could return this week. “That’s one of those things we kind of have talked about and I thought about over the weekend. It’s like, man, who deserves an opportunity here? Who’s going to give us the best chance? Who do we need to get a look at? And so yeah, I mean right now I’m open to everything. I’m open and we’re looking at everything. And so yeah, there are always a chance.”

This article was originally published on HEAVY

The post Lions Make Final Decision on Veteran DB After Season-Ending Injury appeared first on HEAVY.

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