Ronald Acuña Jr. of host Braves to compete in Home Run Derby on July 14 at Atlanta's Truist Park

NEW YORK (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. of the host Braves was announced Wednesday as the first of the eight hitters to compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Atlanta's Truist Park on July 14.

Acuña, who homered on the first pitch of his May 23 return to the Braves following a torn left ACL, will be in the derby for the third time.

He lost to the Mets' Pete Alonso 20-19 in the semifinals in 2019 after opening with a 25-18 victory over Pittsburgh's Josh Bell, then lost to the Alonso 20-19 in the first round at Dodger Stadium in 2022.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb