Ronald Acuña Jr. is making up for lost time.
The Atlanta Braves superstar outfielder missed his team's first 49 games of the season as he finished his recovery from a torn ACL. But since returning, Acuña is on fire. He's batting .350 with nine home runs in just 123 at bats.
And on Wednesday, Acuña joined Joe DiMaggio in MLB history.
Acuña was voted as a National League All-Star Game starter in the outfield despite not debuting this season until the Braves' 50th game.
The only player to ever start an All-Star Game when debuting in Game 50 or later was DiMaggio for the Yankees and the American League in 1949, according to OptaStats.
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DiMaggio wasn't actually voted into the starting lineup that year, though. Instead, he replaced his injured teammate Tommy Henrich in the starting lineup on the day of the game.
That season, DiMaggio made his debut in the Yankees' 66th game.
It's a quirky bit of history that's hard to replicate, for sure.
But Acuña has quickly proven he's still one of the best players in baseball, and it'll be special to see him on his home field in the All-Star Game (and in the Home Run Derby, too).
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