Ronald Acuna Jr. is back in the Atlanta Braves starting lineup as the leadoff hitter for Friday's home game against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park.
The move comes one day after Acuna exited Thursday's 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins in the sixth inning due to left thumb pain.
X-rays on the thumb returned negative, clearing the way for his return.
Acuna said he did not have to convince interim manager Walt Weiss to let him play.
"Or else we would have four outfielders playing in the field," Acuna joked.
The Braves hold a 9.5-game lead in the National League East despite missing several key players, including Drake Baldwin, who is sidelined with an oblique strain.
Weiss highlighted the excitement Acuna brings to the team.
"There's a lot of excitement when he's in the game, because he might do something you haven't seen before," Weiss said.
Atlanta's offense leads MLB in hits and slugging percentage, and ranks second in runs scored, home runs, and OPS.
The team has continued to win through contributions from various players while awaiting the return of injured regulars.
"It's going to be fun when we get back to full strength at some point," Weiss added.
Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has been a key contributor, batting . 283 with eight RBIs in May after a slow April.
On Thursday, he fell a triple short of the cycle after being replaced by a pinch hitter in the eighth inning.
Yastrzemski attributed his turnaround to a mental adjustment. "I was trying to do too much early on in the year," he said.
"Sometimes the harder you try, the harder it gets. You just have to let the game come to you."
Designated hitter Dominic Smith has also been productive, carrying a . 978 OPS over 40 games.
He hit a home run on Wednesday after an 11-pitch at-bat and later scored on an unusual play that drew attention from teammates.
Smith described his approach during the long at-bat: "I was really conscious of getting the barrel to that heater inside...
but then he hung a curveball, and I was able to just really ride my swing through it."
The Nationals adjusted their pitching plans for Friday, starting left-hander Richard Lovelady instead of the originally scheduled Miles Mikolas.
The Braves will counter with Bryce Elder, who owns a 2.01 ERA, facing a Washington offense led by James Wood and C.
J. Abrams.
