Acuña Jr. Exposes Manager's Hidden Agenda on Social Media, Quickly Deletes Controversial Post

In the high-stakes world of Major League Baseball, where hustle and performance often go hand-in-hand, an unexpected situation has thrown the spotlight back on Brian Snitker, the skipper for the Atlanta Braves. Here we are, looking into whether there’s been a bit of favoritism slipped into his managerial style. Ronald Acuña Jr., you know, the star speedster, seems to think so.

Picture this: it’s a match, tension like a tight string between the Braves and the Twins, and young Jarred Kelenic believes he’s hit the big one, dancing casually to first base with a speculative home run. But alas! The ball kisses the right-field wall, not out of the park, and Trevor Larnach catches it, sniping a throw to second where Carlos Correa tags Kelenic out.

If Kelenic had put in the effort, just hustled a bit, that play might’ve been a simple base hit. Instead, we had a blunder, yet Snitker chose silence over action. Fans, me included, scratched our heads at the lack of hustle, and yet, the fireworks didn’t go off. You’d expect a verbal chiding or a benching, but Snitker seemed more interested in the clouds than coaching at that moment.

Flashback to six seasons ago—when Acuña, then a hopeful with dreams bigger than the diamond, got benched for a languid jog to first, thinking his hit was marking the wall. Snitker’s words? “He didn’t run…”, followed by, “…As a teammate, you’re responsible for 24 other guys.” Powerful stuff, right? Made a statement to the young star, setting what we thought was a standard of accountability.

But contrast that with last Saturday’s game, where Snitker opted for radio silence with Kelenic. Was it a different play, a different player, or just a different day for the manager?

This seeming double standard caught Acuña’s attention while he’s sidelined, his comeback from an ACL tear now looming. His response to Mark Bowman’s post on X, was sharp — “If it were me, they would take me out of the game.”

This scenario is unfolding just as the Braves are wrestling with a season start that’s more low than blow. As we gear up for Sunday’s matchup with the Twins, the team’s firmly lodged in the NL East’s cellar, a place that’s not exactly their usual haunt. They really could use their star player’s expertise, even if currently compromised by injury.

Here we stand at a curious crossroads. Whether it’s an oversight, a calculated move, or just one of those “it’s complicated” moments, Snitker might owe some explanations to his squad, the fans, and maybe Acuña too.

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Does Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker hold a double standard when it comes to players not hustling while running the bases? Ronald Acuña Jr. apparently believes so.

During the Braves’ 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins, outfielder Jarred Kelenic hit what he believed was a home run and jogged toward first base accordingly. However, the ball hit high off the right-field wall and was fielded by Trevor Larnach, who threw Kelenic out at second base.

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Had Kelenic been running hard, he likely would have easily made it to second safely. But because he didn’t run out of the box with full effort, he was tagged out by shortstop Carlos Correa. Kelenic initially appeared to elude the tag with his slide, but replay showed he was out. Yet that wasn’t the point.

Despite the lack of hustle, Snitker didn’t take Kelenic out of the game, raising many questions among fans who saw a mistake that could have cost the Braves a win. Kelenic may have scored on a single by Alex Verdugo that drove in Nick Allen. That would have given Atlanta a more comfortable two-run lead, though it didn’t matter with the Braves’ bullpen closing the game out with three scoreless innings.

Asked after the game if he said anything to Kelenic, Snitker replied, “Was I supposed to?”

That was a surprising response, considering the manager benched Acuña six seasons ago for watching a fly ball to right field that he thought was a home run hit the wall. Instead of a sure extra-base hit, Acuña had to settle for a single after walking down the base line. Snitker subsequently pulled Acuña from the game.

“He didn’t run,” Snitker said following that Aug. 18, 2019 game. “You’ve got to run. It’s not going to be acceptable here. As a teammate, you’re responsible for 24 other guys, and that name on the front is a lot more important than that name on the back of that jersey. You can’t do that. We’re trying to accomplish something special here.”

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Yet on Saturday, Snitker claimed he didn’t say anything to Kelenic for not running, nor did he bench him. Perhaps the difference is that Kelenic wasn’t running hard. Or Snitker was trying to make a statement to his then-21-year-old star for whom putting forth maximum effort was expected.

Regardless of the reason, it appeared to be a double standard from Snitker. And Acuña said as much in response to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman posting Snitker’s remark on X.

“If it were me, they would take me out of the game,” Acuña posted.

The reply has since been deleted, but many people screengrabbed it. Not only was the response clear evidence of a major league star calling out his manager, but it was supported by Snitker’s actions from six years ago.

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Acuña is still on the injured list while recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee sustained last May. The recovery timeline has him set to return sometime next month after he was cleared to ramp up baseball activity last week. In the meantime, Snitker may have explaining to do with the 2023 NL MVP.

Atlanta could certainly use their superstar, even if he’s diminished by injury. The Braves are off to arguably the most disappointing start in MLB at 7-13 going into Sunday’s matchup with the Twins. As a result, they currently hold last place in the NL East, 6 1/2 games behind the division-leading New York Mets, but just one game out of third place.