The Atlanta Braves have gone 7-2 since superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. blasted manager Brian Snitker for his handling of teammate Jarred Kelenic's lazy base running. Could there be a correlation between the lingering clubhouse drama and the team's sudden success following a brutal start to the 2025 MLB campaign?
If you ask Snitker, Atlanta's resurgence has nothing to do with Acuña. The Braves have been red-hot following their franchise player's disgruntled social media activity. Meanwhile, the skipper seems perfectly content with the current state of affairs, which doesn't include the latter in the lineup.
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Brian Snitker ostensibly doesn't mind the Braves winning without Ronald Acuña Jr.
If you ask Snitker, Alex Verdugo's arrival from Triple-A Gwinnett marks the beginning of Atlanta's drastic turnaround.
"The biggest thing is when we got Verdugo, when you pinpoint back to when it started," Snitker said (h/t Owen Perkins of MLB.com). “We were mixing and matching with the leadoff spot. He's done a really good job and just brought some stability to it."
In fairness to Snitker, Verdugo has thrived since the Braves called him up on Apr. 17. He's hitting .341/.396/.455 with five doubles, six RBIs and a stellar .850 OPS across 48 plate appearances. The veteran outfielder has brought some much-needed pop to the top of Atlanta's order, making life easier for those batting after him.
"Guys at the bottom of the order just keep plugging along, which is awesome," Snitker stated. He specifically shouted out Eli White, who's registered an extra-base hit in six straight contests, for his recent efforts from the batter's box.
"[White's] swinging the bat really good, he's having good at-bats, seeing the ball good and getting good decisions," Snitker voiced.
It's great that the Braves are getting production from unexpected contributors like Verdugo and White. They badly needed others to step up, especially while Acuña continues his rehab from ACL surgery. But Snitker is missing a former MVP who usually operates as Atlanta's five-tool leadoff man and doesn't appear to feel the loss.