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With one day left before the MLB All-Star Break, every team is scheduled to take the field on Sunday, July 11th. All 15 games will take place in the afternoon, so it will be a sprint to the unofficial halfway point of the season. Teams will look to remain as healthy as possible as they position themselves for a postseason run following the break. Unfortunately, one of the best young players in baseball suffered a brutal injury on Saturday. Let’s take a look at what it means in today’s injury report as well as the latest lineup moves.
MLB lineup and injury news — Sunday, July 11th
Ronald Acuna Jr. tears ACL
One of the brightest stars in the sport was injured going for a ball in right field on Saturday night, and the season is over for Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. At 23 years old, he has been one of the best hitters across many statistical categories. Acuna ranked fifth in home runs, seventh in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, first in runs scored and fourth in stolen bases. Atlanta is four games behind the New York Mets, and this will be a tough one to overcome.
Javier Baez should be available
Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez left Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a thumb injury, but manager David Ross suggested he will be in the lineup in Sunday’s series finale.
Salvador Perez leaves with back injury
The Kansas City Royals catcher suffered a back injury diving for a bunt in the third inning during Saturday’s game. Later in the game, he had knocked out his 21st home run of the season, which is the 11th most in the MLB this season, before exiting. It is unclear whether Perez will be back in the lineup on Sunday.
Alec Bohm leaves due to COVID protocols
Philadelphia Phillies’ third baseman Alec Bohm homered and finished 2-for-3 at the plate before leaving the game due to COVID-19 protocols on Saturday. There has been no update on his availability for Sunday.
Tucker Barnhart is out of the lineup
Cincinnati Reds’ catcher Tucker Barnhart will get an extra day off heading into the break after starting each of the last four games. Tyler Stephenson will be behind the plate in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers.