Ronald Acuña Jr., outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, wanted to smooth over a recent controversy before rejoining the team during his rehab from a torn ACL. Acuña said he apologized to both his teammates and manager Brian Snitker over a social media post he made in April.
In the now-deleted post, Acuña accused Snitker of applying a double standard. The incident stemmed from an April 19 game against the Minnesota Twins, where outfielder Jarred Kelenic prematurely assumed he had hit a home run.
He jogged out of the batter’s box but was ultimately thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. The Braves did not discipline Kelenic for his lack of hustle, which prompted Acuña — still sidelined from the team — to tweet, “If it were me, they would take me out of the game.”
Acuña says he has apologized to Snitker and his teammates for his social media post. He blamed the frustration he felt as he remained unavailable while the team was losing.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 14, 2025
Acuña’s frustration referenced a past situation in 2019 when Snitker benched him for not hustling on a similar play. While Snitker later said he hadn’t seen Kelenic’s lapse live, the tweet had already caused waves. Broadcaster and former Braves player Jeff Francoeur criticized Acuña shortly after the post.
Eventually, Acuña addressed the issue by apologizing directly to Snitker and his teammates, saying he was just frustrated he couldn’t contribute while the team was struggling — they were 7-13 at the time.
Since then, the Braves have improved, though they remain inconsistent. As of Friday, they’re 22-22. Acuña’s return — he began a rehab assignment on Tuesday — is expected to boost the team. Star pitcher Spencer Strider is also working his way back, having thrown a simulated game on Wednesday as he rehabs a hamstring injury.
Acuña had previously worked his way back into Snitker’s favor after the 2019 benching, helped by his impressive play. From 2019 to 2024, he has posted a strong .288/.382/.520 slash line. While that doesn’t make him immune to criticism, his elite talent makes it hard to bench him for every mistake.
Be the first to comment