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Braves send top prospect Acuna down despite sensational spring

Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports

Ronald Acuna will not crack the Atlanta Braves' Opening Day roster.

The club reassigned the top prospect to minor-league camp Monday after hitting .432/.519/.727 with a team-leading four home runs, 11 RBIs, and four stolen bases in 16 games.

It wasn't expected at the start of spring training that the 20-year-old would make the team as the Braves are unlikely to compete for a postseason spot and will want to delay Acuna's service time, but his performance shows that he's deserving of a spot on the major-league club.

Acuna will now likely start the season with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he hit .344/.393/.548 with nine home runs, 14 doubles, and 11 stolen bases in 54 games last season. The Braves can call him up anytime after April 13 and gain an extra year of contractual control.

Signed as an international free agent by the Braves in 2014, Acuna entered this season as the No. 2 prospect in baseball behind Shohei Ohtani, according to MLB Pipeline.

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