Ronald Acuña Jr. sent shockwaves across MLB on Sunday when he started a feud with Braves manager Brian Snitker from afar. Acuña Jr. is rehabbing from an ACL injury and is hoping to return in a matter of weeks. However, the former NL MVP couldn't help but notice a double standard in the Atlanta clubhouse.
Jarred Kelenic, the former top prospect who was acquired from the Seattle Mariners by Alex Anthopoulos, was thrown out at second base after admiring a fly ball he thought was a home run. That lack of hustle was immediately noticed by Braves fans, but not addressed by Snitker. In fact, it was Kelenic who had to mention the moment to Snitker the next morning, and apologize for it.
While we admire Kelenic for taking ownership of the situation, Snitker ought to have pulled the young outfielder from the game just as he would have Acuña. In fact, Acuña was removed for a similar mistake back in 2019, which Snitker defended as an accumulation of bad baserunning.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the Discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Austin Riley leads by example after Ronald Acuña Jr. drama with Braves
The Braves will move forward from this incident, and winning helps. Atlanta swept its first series of the season over the weekend and won again on Monday night. The Braves have four straight victories, and are suddenly just four games under .500 and 6.5 games back in the NL East.
Snitker may not have seen Acuña Jr.'s since-deleted tweet, and perhaps won't feel the need to discuss it with him in person – but the Braves got the message. Atlanta infielder Austin Riley recorded an infield single by running out a ground ball, which led to a five-run inning by the Braves. Snitker was happy to discuss Riley's effort for a change, rather than Acuña Jr.
“Austin busted his hump down there,” Snitker said. “That’s a big, big play right there. A guy that big, and he can run.”
Per Statcast, Riley was running 29.3 ft./sec. Riley is hardly a fast runner, with 30 ft/sec. considered elite speed. In that moment, Riley simply wanted it more and created a rally on his own accord.
“The numbers don’t lie, check the numbers,” Riley said, per MLB.com.
All Acuña Jr. wants is consistency, and Riley has taken it upon himself as a clubhouse presence to lead by example.