Braves notes: Ronald Acuña Jr.’s clever stolen bases, Bryce Elder’s All-Star

PHILADELPHIA — No one has more infield hits than Ronald Acuña Jr. this season, and the Braves star is the National League stolen-base leader by a wide margin with 32. That includes three steals when he simply took off running and dashed to third base while pitchers and/or infielders weren’t paying attention, so rare is it that a major-league base runner would be so bold.

Those who regularly watched Acuña play this season — he has played all 73 games and all but 11 innings — would surely agree that he has played with fervor now that his right knee is fully healed from July 2021 surgery for a torn ACL. He’s a primary reason the Braves have the National League’s top offense and best record (48-26) after sweeping two in a rain-shortened series at Philadelphia including a 5-1, 10-inning win Thursday that was their eighth victory in a row.

Yet there are still those who will see Acuña occasionally not sprint full-bore to first base on the most routine of grounders — a play where even a fast runner is going to be out by a step or two barring an error — and proclaim on social media (or on the airwaves) that Acuña isn’t hustling enough.

To which Braves manager Brian Snitker would say, bull (excrement).

When a player with several years in the major leagues flies around the bases and the outfield as frequently as Acuña does, especially one who has had a leg injury or two, it is not uncommon for a manager to instruct or allow him to ease off the throttle some on the most routine of plays when the exceedingly slim chance that he might be safe on an error isn’t worth stress he’d put on his legs by going all-out.

“I think he’s done a really good job of when to push on the gas and when not to,” Snitker said of Acuña in those situations. “And if a guy is going to play every day and run like that, I’m not expecting him to blow his hamstrings up every time he touches a ball, which is going to be a lot. And I think he’s got a real good gauge on when to turn it on.”

Acuña and Boston’s Masataka Yoshida led the majors with 15 infield hits apiece before Thursday, while no one else had more than 12. Acuña is second in the majors and first in the NL in stolen bases with 32 — seven behind Oakland’s Esteury Ruiz and 10 ahead of the next-highest NL total, 22 by Arizona’s Corbin Carroll.

Acuña also has 15 homers — Ruiz has one — and the Braves’ leadoff man is on pace for 33 homers and 70 stolen bases. No major-league player ever has had as many as 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in the same season. Acuña, batting .324 with a .952 OPS that’s third-highest in the NL, maintained his major-league lead in All-Star votes when finalists were announced for the second phase of voting.

Acuña and AL votes leader Shohei Ohtani automatically bypass the next phase of voting and get starting spots in the July 11 All-Star Game in Seattle. Six other Braves advanced in the voting process — Sean Murphy, Matt Olson,