According to former Major League pitcher Kelvim Escobar, Ronald Acuña Jr. has received permission from the Atlanta Braves and will play winter ball in Venezuela for Tiburones de La Guaira.
The stint will help him prepare for his appearance with Venezuela’s national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Acuña last appeared in the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional two seasons ago with the Tiburones. For the Venezuelan champions that year, he played 21 games and hit .380/.529/.747 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs. The 2023 NL MVP is the most significant player to be cleared to play winter ball this season. According to an additional report from El Extrabase, Acuña Jr is aiming to make his debut in the last week of November or the first week of December.
Acuña suffered a left ACL tear on May 26, 2024, and missed nearly a full calendar year. He returned to MLB actiona on May 23, 2025, and homered off Nick Pivetta on the first pitch he saw. He was later named a National League All-Star starter. In 95 games, he hit .290/.417/.518 with 21 home runs and 42 RBIs, proving again why he’s considered one of the best players in the world.
News of his arrival is a major boost for the 2024 Caribbean Series champions, who have disappointed this winter and sit at 11-12 through 23 games. Only the top four teams are guaranteed a place in the round robin, with the fifth- and sixth-place clubs meeting in a wild-card series for the final spot. Tiburones sit sixth, leading Cardenales de Lara by just one game.
Photo: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves waves to the crowd after a 6-5 win against the Chicago Cubs 6-5 in which he recorded his 70th steal of the season at Truist Park on September 27, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
