In Saturday's Atlanta Braves game, Jarred Kelenic made headlines for the wrong reasons. Kelenic hit a long fly ball he assumed was a home run, only to narrowly miss paydirt. Kelenic's line drive hit the wall, and he was thrown out at second base as a result, as he wasn't running hard out of the box.
While Brian Snitker is undoubtedly a players manager, it was surprising the veteran skipper didn't make an example of Kelenic. The former top prospect has struggled this season for the Braves, but that is no excuse for his lack of effort and lackadaisical trot towards first base.
Jarred Kelenic, my man, you can't pimp a single off the wall and get thrown out at second base when you're hitting .174 pic.twitter.com/MYANCrOaG9
— Lindsay Crosby, big baseball guy (@CrosbyBaseball) April 20, 2025
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Ronald Acuña Jr. calls out Brian Snitker's hypocrisy
Per Mark Bowman, Snitker even protected Kelenic after the game, asking the media if he was supposed to remove the young outfielder from the game as a result of his poor play. That, one would assume, is why the Braves pay Snitker well – to make said decisions.
Ronald Acuña Jr. caught wind of Snitker's comment, and while he's not with the team right now as he rehabs from injury, the Braves star was seemingly upset by the obvious double standard.
"If it were me, they would take me out of the game," Acuña Jr. said via X.
Acuña Jr. speaks from experience. Back in 2019, Acuña Jr. didn't run hard out of the box and was thrown out as a result. Snitker rightly benched the future star. If Acuña Jr. can deal with a public benching and clubhouse call-out, then why can't Kelenic?
“He didn’t run,” Snitker said at the time. “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. Personal things have to be put on the back burner.”
Timing couldn't be worse for Braves drama
To Acuña Jr.'s credit, he didn't hide from his mistake, agreeing with Snitker's choice to sit him in the moment.
“It’s one of those things where I [wasn’t] thinking and that’s the reaction I took,” Acuña said. “[Snitker] felt that was the decision he had to make, and I respect that decision.”
Acuña Jr. admitted his mistake, and the Braves moved on from there. He was better for it and learned his lesson.
On the surface, this is the last thing the Braves need as they hope to rebound from a brutal start to the 2025 season. Ideally this would be something discussed behind closed doors, but Acuña Jr. and Snitker made it public.