Assessing Friday's MLB Transactions from a Fantasy Baseball Perspective: Ronald Acuna Jr., Daylen Lile and More

There's been a few notable MLB transactions on Friday, and I want to discuss a few of them quickly.

We'll break things down by team and offer up fantasy outlooks for all the impacted players.

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Braves Transactions

The big news is Ronald Acuna Jr. being activated from the injured list. In a corresponding move, Orlando Arcia was designated for assignment.

Acuna hasn't played in the big leagues since May 26. He's been out with a torn left ACL, and that's after he tore his right ACL in 2021.

Acuna is a career .289 hitter with a .379 on-base percentage. He has 165 homers, 12 triples and 145 doubles among his 815 total hits over 722 games and 3,254 plate appearances. Acuna also has 368 walks and 719 strikeouts, and has stolen 196 bases.

He was the NL MVP in 2023, so to see him go down the following season was a massive blow for fantasy owners. Acuna has already proved he can come back from the injury, but at what point do things catch up to him?

Acuna immediately goes back to being one of the top fantasy hitters in the game. He might endure his fair share of struggles early on, but in time, I think he'll be back in the mix for the best fantasy outfielders out there.

Atlanta might give him some additional rest here and there, but he'll remain a fantasy asset in all leagues, and should be started and utilized in all leagues immediately. 

If you drafted Acuna before the season, you finally get to add him to the mix. If you aren't sold on him moving forward though, selling him now might be the best move.

Arcia has never been a huge fantasy asset, but he's had time where he's been a useful fantasy hitter to deploy.

This season has been brutal for Arcia. Across just 14 games, he has 32 plate appearances. He had six hits, including a double, one RBI, no stolen bases, one run scored and walk and eight strikeouts.

I assume he will latch on with another team eventually, and get another crack at the big leagues with someone else. It will be an uphill battle for Arcia to carve out a daily role and be a fantasy asset in any leagues.

Twins' Transactions

Minnesota activated Carlos Correa from the seven-day injured list.

In 41 games and 157 plate appearances this season, Correa has a .236 average and .274 OBP. He has eight doubles and two homers among his 35 total hits, along with 13 RBIs, no stolen bases, 14 runs scored, eight walks and 29 strikeouts.

Correa has a career .274 average and .352 OBP, so maybe a little break can get him trending toward those marks again. For now though, Correa is just a deep-league fantasy option.

He's one to keep tabs on in case he finds his groove sometime soon.

Nationals' Transactions

Washington placed outfielder Jacob Young on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder AC sprain. The Nationals called up Daylen Lile from Triple-A to replace him.

Lile is the second Washington outfielder prospect called up this week, as Robert Hassell III was brought up a couple days ago. 

Lile is ranked ninth among the Nationals' top-30 prospects. Hassell was 11th. Lile is 22 years old, is a left-handed hitter, was drafted in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft and wasn't expected to debut until 2026.

Lile has a 45 grade overall. He's got 55 marks for hitting and running, while having a 50 in fielding and 45s in power and for his arm.

Across four minor league seasons, Lile has a .273 average and .356 OBP in 294 games played. He's excelled this season at Double- and Triple-A.

In 39 games so far in 2025, Lile has a .337 average and .383 OBP. Among his 55 total hits, he has nine doubles, five triples and three homers. Lile also has 23 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 12 walks, nine stolen bases and 23 strikeouts.

The injuries to the outfield have afforded Lile an opportunity, and with his hot hitting this season, Washington decided to give him a chance. It might not be a long stint in the big leagues, but if Lile produces at the plate, it could make other outfielders on the Nationals' roster expendable.

Lile is worth an add in some deeper redraft leagues for now. He can start if he's starting in real life, but he should only probably be utilized in the deepest of fantasy leagues right away.

We'll keep an eye on him and see if he's a waiver wire pickup early next week. That would mean he excels at the plate over the weekend.