Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. Slides Down RF Rankings After Injury-Riddled Season

On Tuesday, MLB Network revealed The Shredder's (MLB Network's data-driven system for rankings without bias) top 10 right fielder rankings for the 2026 MLB season. It was not long ago that Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. was in the conversation for the best player in MLB. Now, according to The Shredder, Acuna is not even among the top four right fielders following his injury-riddled 2025 campaign.

Acuna checked in at No. 5 on the list. Aaron Judge led the way at No. 1, while Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker and Corbin Carroll followed. As for the 6-10 spots, Fernando Tatis Jr., Seiya Suzuki, George Springer, Mike Trout and Wilyer Abreu followed Acuna in that order.

No. 5 is a respectable ranking for most players. However, Acuna is an absolute superstar when healthy. The harsh reality is that Acuna has been limited due to injuries in his career.

The Braves right fielder has only appeared in 120 or more games in two of his seven eligible big league seasons (not counting 2020 since it was a shortened 60-game season).

In 2023, Acuna appeared in 159 games and won the National League MVP Award. 2024 saw him appear in only 49 contests, however. In 2025, Acuna played in 95 total games.

He still looked like a superstar while on the field. Acuna slashed .290/.417/.518 across 412 plate appearances. In fact, he still managed to earn the fifth All-Star selection of his career.

The Shredder seemingly took his injury absences into consideration, though. From purely a talent standpoint, Acuna is arguably a top three player.

Judge is arguably the best hitter in the sport. Soto is a pure hitter who gets on base at an elite rate. He signed a historic contract with the New York Mets last offseason. Speaking of big contracts, the Los Angeles Dodgers just gave Tucker a massive deal for a reason. Carroll is one of the young and exciting players in the game.

With all of that being said, there is a legitimate argument to be made that Acuna is the second best right fielder from a talent standpoint, trailing only Judge. Injuries do need to be factored in, though, so Acuna is at No. 5 for now.

A healthy campaign could lead to Acuna landing in the top three once again next season. For now, he will focus on preparing for the upcoming World Baseball Classic and 2026 regular season.