National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. is expected to be ready for Opening Day with the Atlanta Braves after a more thorough examination of his sore right knee found no serious issues.
Acuña left the Braves' spring training site in Florida to be examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Monday night.
The team announced Tuesday that ElAttrache found only irritation in the meniscus of Acuña's right knee. Acuña will be able to gradually increase his baseball activities and is expected to be cleared to play by the time the Braves open the regular season at Philadelphia on March 28.
"I don't know when I'll play again, but I feel like I can play today -- I can play every day," Acuña said. "But I've got [a] boss. When they tell me, 'You can play,' I'll play."
Acuña is coming off a season in which he became the first player in baseball history to hit 40 homers and steal 70 bases. He was a unanimous choice for NL MVP after hitting .337 with 41 homers, 106 RBIs and 73 stolen bases, leading Atlanta to its sixth straight NL East title.
"It's important because I want to play every day," he said. "I want to play on the Opening Day roster, a hundred percent. I feel great."
Braves manager Brian Snitker said the team was not considering limiting Acuña on the basepaths.
"He's still young, and he's still at an age where he can continue to do that," Snitker said. "He's going to reach a point some time where he's going to slow down on his own and understand that. I think you've got to turn a kid like that loose and let him play his game."
Acuña, 26, tweaked his knee Thursday while he was in a rundown between second and third base during an exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins. There were no immediate issues; he remained in the game for two more innings before exiting with many of the regular starters.
Acuña took batting practice the next day, but the team decided to take no chances when pain persisted in the same knee that suffered a season-ending injury in 2021.
As a precautionary measure, the Braves sent Acuña to be examined by the famed California surgeon who surgically repaired the knee after Acuña tore the anterior cruciate ligament in 2021.
ElAttrache confirmed there was no structural damage, providing the Braves with a big sigh of relief as they head into another season of high expectations.
ESPN's Alden Gonzalez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.