In their respective American and National League Wild Card Series, Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox’s Luisangel Acuña just may have begun a trend that will carry over into the Division Series.
Both Acuña boys were the focus of their clubs’ Game 2 earlier this week. They were the first brothers in MLB history to each swipe two bases in a single inning in the same postseason.
Shifting from routinely concentrating on having most players in their lineups swinging for the fences, the Acuñas reminded game planners that moving from base to base can also be had 90 feet at a time. With the best-of-five series beginning on Saturday, Luisangel, 24, and older brother Ronald, 28, anticipate having multiple opportunities to try and duplicate their base-stealing prowess seen in the Wild Card Series.
It was in Game 2 between the Philadelphia Phillies and Braves that Ronald Acuña Jr. was unstoppable on the bases. The right fielder and 2023 National League MVP stole second and third base in the bottom of the first inning at Truist Park. Philadelphia won the game 4–3.
Those familiar with Acuña Jr.’s nine-year career with the Braves have seen his stealing bags regularly. This past season, Acuña Jr., a lifetime .285 hitter, copped 21 bases. In 2023, his MVP season, Acuña Jr. was successful in attempting to steal a base 73 times. Career-wise, he has 226 steals to his credit while being caught only 58 times.
At the tail end of the 2026 regular season, after a game with the Cincinnati Reds, Braves manager Walt Weiss gave his seal of approval that his All-Star outfielder is fully healed from a recent leg injury—which could make Acuña Jr. a menace on the bases for Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers and catchers beginning this weekend.
“I felt good about him tonight or I wouldn’t have played him. [Acuña Jr.] stole third, he tried to steal second, but the ball got popped up, he had to hurry back. Tagged up on a deep fly ball. He was running really well. [I saw] no ill effects from that foul ball off his leg. That’s a really good sign,” Weiss said on Sept. 24.
The Braves right fielder missed parts of the May and June schedule due to left hamstring strains. His elite speed should be a priority for Dodgers pitchers to maintain short leads off of whatever base the Atlanta superstar may land on.
Brother Luisangel has always been a speedster on the bases in search of a permanent home among MLB clubs. Spending his first full season with the White Sox (104 games) this year, the younger of the Acuña brothers seems to have found his role for manager Will Venable. In Game 2’s series-clinching 7–3 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday, it was in the sixth inning when Acuña swiped second and third bases. Starting from the minor leagues, racking up stolen bases has become routine for Acuña.
Playing for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, New York, in 2024, Acuña was successful in 40 of 54 base-stealing attempts. In 2025, again while playing for Syracuse, Acuña won eight of 10 times running on the opposing team. When being summoned to New York for 95 games in 2025, the super-ultility player was caught once in 17 attempts at stealing a base. In joining the White Sox this season, when given the green light on the bases, Luisangel was successful 18 times, and was called out six times.
Just like his brother will be watched carefully by the Dodgers’ catching corps, Acuña no doubt will get the same level of attention by Cleveland Guardian backstops in the American League Division matchup.
Luisangel Acuña #0 of the Chicago White Sox celebrates during the sixth inning in game two of the American League Wild Card Series against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 30, 2026. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
“Everyone knows that Dodgers have a juggernaut. We played well against them this year. I know that doesn’t carry a whole lot of stock. Once the playoffs begin, … everybody starts at zero. And the Dodgers are healthier than they were when we saw them,” he said. “Just in the preliminary stages of preparing for the Dodgers, there’s a lot to prepare for there. We got a team, the core group that’s played in a lot of postseason games so I think that helps … to slow the game down a little bit in that environment.”
From Saturday’s games at Cleveland’s Progressive Field and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, throughout the Division Series and right through to Game 1 of the World Series on Sept. 23, if one or both Acuña brothers are still playing, base-stealing will be an attention-getter.
