Ronald Acuña Jr.'s return to the Home Run Derby is generating significant interest among local Atlanta fans.

Ronald Acuña Jr. will participate in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 15, drawing attention from his hometown supporters. The superstar of the Braves announced his acceptance of the invitation today on ESPN's SportsCenter.

After winning the 2023 NL MVP award, Ronald Acuña missed the last four months of the previous season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. This will be his third appearance (and first since 2022), giving the Venezuelan outfielder a chance to prove that he remains one of the league's top hitters, even after surgeries on both knees.

Acuña is likely to be the center of attention in this long-distance home run event. Despite missing half of the 2021 season and much of last season, Acuña leads MLB with 24 home runs over 450 feet from his rookie season in 2018 through this postseason. Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are tied for second with 22 home runs.

Since making his season debut on May 24, Acuña has hit 9 home runs in 104 plate appearances. Although he missed the Braves' first 49 games, he still has a chance to exceed 25 home runs. At the age of 21 in 2019, he hit 41 home runs and was on pace for 40 in a season before tearing his right ACL two days before the 2021 All-Star Weekend.

Acuña set historic season records in 2023, hitting 41 home runs and stealing 73 bases. No player has ever achieved more than 47 stolen bases in a season while hitting 40 home runs.

Braves fans hope Acuña will perform better than Chipper Jones did in the 2000 Home Run Derby, which was the last All-Star Game held at Turner Field in Atlanta. Although Jones hit a home run during the All-Star Game, he only managed 2 home runs in the Derby.

Acuña showcased his all-around power in the 2019 Derby, eliminating Josh Bell in the first round with 25 home runs, but losing to Pete Alonso in the second round with a score of 19-20.

In the 2022 first-round match at Dodger Stadium, Acuña faced Alonso again and was eliminated with the same score of 19-20.