The Atlanta Braves had a rough start to the season, and things appeared to be falling apart after one tweet from superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. After Jarred Kelenic wasn't removed from the game by Snitker for admiring a fly balll to the outfield, Acuña took to X to say "If it were me, they would take me out of the game." It was a clear shot towards manager Brian Snitker. Acuña was recovering from a torn ACL at the time of the incident, leading to drama on the Braves.
On Wednesday, Acuña spoke with reporters and took time out to reveal he apologized to Snitker and his teammates for the tweet in question.
Braves Ronald Acuña said he apologized to Brian Snitker and asked for his forgiveness and spoke to him man to man… also apologized to his teammates. Acuńa said he was frustrated with his injury, not being there with his teammates and the team was struggling. pic.twitter.com/XWrIxYxEij
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) May 14, 2025
Ronald Acuña Jr. reveals he apologized to Brian Snitker over tweet
Acuña said that at the time of sending out that post, he was frustrated with where he was in his injury recovery. Acuña also said that he was frustrated that he wasn't there for the team while they were dealing with their struggles.
Ronald Acuña Jr: "I've always just felt such a strong sense of pride of being a member of this organization. I want to be here my whole career. So, seeing the team and my teammates going through (struggles) and not being able to help...was where the frustration was coming from."
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 14, 2025
Regarding the play in question, Kelenic was thrown out at second base while admiring what he throught was a home run against the Minnesota Twins. After the game, Snitker was asked by reporters if he said anything to Kelenic about the lack of hustle, to which the Braves manager replied, "was I supposed to?" Shortly thereafter, the Acuña tweet went live.
But, this all appears to be water under the bridge, as Acuña prepares to make his return soon. Recently, Acuña hit a home run in his rehab assignment with the FCL Braves. Acuña is set to continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday night. From there, a return to the majors coud be on the horizon for Acuña.
Acuña's presence will make the Braves that much better, especially as they look to climb up the NL East standings with the rival New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies having strong starts to the season. Before that happens, Acuña wanted to put the supposed drama with Snitker to bed and took responsibility for the tweet.