Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. was carted off the sphere with a proper knee damage after trying a catch within the outfield

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The Atlanta Braves may have lost their best player to injury. Ronald Acuña Jr. left the game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon with an apparent right leg injury after attempting a right field jump. He jumped for the ball, landed awkwardly, then walked down to the warning lane with obvious pain.

Acuña was unable to make the catch, and the game resulted in a home run in the park for Marlin’s infielder Jazz Chisholm. Here is the video:

Acuña stayed on the ground for several minutes and initially tried to leave the field on his own, although he limped and felt uncomfortable. Eventually he had to be towed. After the game, Braves manager Brian Snitker said Acuña is currently being evaluated and the team will know more on Sunday.

“It’s a right knee. It’s under investigation and we’ll likely know more tomorrow morning,” Snitker told reporters, including 11Alive News’ Maria Martin.

The Braves are already without Marcell Ozuna, who is out with a finger injury and also awaiting an investigation under the MLB policy on domestic violence, and catchers Travis d’Arnaud and Alex Jackson. Abraham Almonte, Guillermo Heredia and Ender Inciarte are the other outfield players in the club’s active squad. Utility men Ehire Adrianza and Orlando Arcia can also play in the outfield.

Acuña, 23, is easily one of the best players in baseball, taking a .281 / .392,593 hit line with 24 home runs and 16 stolen bases in Saturday’s game. He was voted for by the fans as the starter in the All-Star game, and he’s got the kind of season that will get MVP considerations going.

With the win on Saturday (ATL 5, MIA 4), Atlanta improved to 44-33 that season, and they’re 3 1/2 games behind a postseason spot. Needless to say, losing Acuña for any length of time would crush their post-season hopes.