Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) to see specialist

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. has been diagnosed with irritation around the meniscus in his right knee and will have the injury evaluated further.

An MRI performed Friday showed the condition. He was removed from the lineup in the spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday as a precaution because of right knee soreness, the team said.

The reigning National League MVP, Acuna will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Monday for evaluation, per reports. ElAttrache surgically repaired Acuna's torn right ACL in July 2021.

Acuna was involved in a rundown in Thursday's game against the Minnesota Twins, and the knee issue apparently occurred during that play.

Acuna, 26, was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2018 and is a four-time All-Star.

In 2023, Acuna became the first 40-70 player in baseball history with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases, the latter which led the major leagues. He also led the majors in hits (217), runs (149), on-base percentage (.416) and total bases (383).

In 673 career games, Acuna is batting .292 with 767 hits, 161 homers, 402 RBIs and 180 stolen bases.

The Braves signed the outfielder to an eight-year, $100 million deal in 2019.