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While Atlanta has yet to make an official announcement about the surgery, including which shoulder it was performed on, the ninth overall pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft is facing a 7-10 month recovery either way. Gracia dealt with a shoulder issue in his final year of college at Virginia, so the need to go under the knife wasn't a big surprise and was likely known to Atlanta when the team selected him, and he still posted a .354/.489/.632 slash line with 14 homers in 56 games despite reduced exit velocities from the season prior. If he meets the short end of his recovery estimate, Gracia -- who turns 22 in October -- could participate in spring training in 2027, but a more cautious approach from the organization would see him make his pro debut later next spring or summer.
Gracia has an uncommon combination of approach, contact and power for a college hitter who was available at this point in the first round. A big reason for that is that he might end up in left field, as he's got a physical 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame but his arm isn't prototypical for right field. He primarily played center field for Virginia as a junior, and if his average speed or arm tick up, that would put less pressure on his bat. Still, the lefty-hitting Gracia walked more than he struck out each of the past two years and logged an ISO over .250 all three years of college (he spent his first two years at Duke). He also posted an .888 OPS with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League in 2024. This spring, he slashed .354/.489/.632 with 14 home runs, 15 doubles, a 17.3 percent walk rate and a 14 percent strikeout rate in 56 games for the Cavaliers. He probably won't steal many bases in pro ball -- he stole 17 in 176 college games -- but there's a high four-category fantasy ceiling with Gracia, who could be big-league ready in roughly a year.