The Atlanta Braves completed their first three-game sweep of the MLB regular season this weekend, but that is not the primary story to emerge from their clubhouse. In fact, the biggest talking point after Atlanta's win Sunday over the Minnesota Twins was none other than Ronald Acuña Jr., who is rehabbing from injury down in Florida.
The Braves drama stems from what Brian Snitker didn't do on a lazy out made by outfielder Jarred Kelenic. Kelenic thought he hit a home run, but was instead thrown out on the basepaths while watching his fly ball NOT leave the yard. Braves fans were rightly upset, but they weren't the only ones. Acuña Jr. was curious why Kelenic wasn't removed from the game and didn't face any punishment.
“If it were me, they would take me out of the game," Acuña Jr. posted on X in a since-deleted tweet.
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Brian Snitker tells on himself by not benching Jarred Kelenic
Acuña Jr. has a point, if only because it happened before. Back in 2019 Acuña Jr. made a similar mistake and was removed from the game. Here is what Snitker had to say after that decision.
“He didn’t run. You’ve got to run. It’s not going to be acceptable here. As a teammate, you’re responsible for 24 other guys. That name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back of that jersey," Snitker said.
Acuña Jr. respected that decision and, assuming that is the standard, Kelenic ought to have faced a similar fate...except he didn't. Given Snitker's precedent isn't universal, Acuña Jr. and the Braves face a bit of a problem with his return (hopefully) a matter of weeks away.
Brian Snitker's comments don't do him any favors with Braves fans
To his credit, Snitker has since commented on the incident, but those revelations may not work in his favor. Snitker apparently did not see Kelenic's play live, nor did he watch the replay on the video board. He was asleep at the wheel. Essentially, it took Kelenic bringing up the issue the next morning for the pair to talk about his mistake.
When the media asked Snitker why he didn't bench Kelenic, he responded back simply, “Was I supposed to?” The answer to that question is yes. Snitker has said that not all baserunning mistakes are created equal. In the case of Acuña, it was the accumulation of multiple mistakes that made Snitker act back in 2019. That matters, but it can also create an avoidable rift in the Braves clubhouse. If that occurs, the blood is on Snitker's hands.
The Braves should be focused on turning their season around. Instead, a player currently rehabbing from injury is grabbing storylines, along with a manager in the final year of his contract. Go figure.