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Why did Ronald Acuna Jr. criticize the Braves?

Why did Ronald Acuna Jr. criticize the Braves?

DraftKings Fantasy Advice DFS

Published:

By: Zach Thompson

The start of the MLB season has been mostly disastrous for the Braves, who are still just 8-13 even after sweeping the Twins this weekend in Atlanta. While the team went 3-0 against Minnesota, Atlanta wasn’t controversy-free. Recovering star Ronald Acuna Jr. took to social media and criticized the team for not disciplining his teammate Jarred Kelenic after this play:

After the game, manager Brian Snitker seemed to cover for Kelenic after the outfielder stayed in the game. While Acuna is currently working his way back from his knee injury that cut last season short, he took to X and replied to MLB Network’s Mark Bowman’s post about Snitker’s comments.

Acuna took the post down, but he definitely seemed unhappy that Kelenic didn’t face any consequences.

The superstar seems to have a point based on what happened to him in August 2019 in a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Snitker removed Acuna from the game as a disciplinary measure, and after the game, Snitker said, “He didn’t run. You’ve got to run. It’s not going to be acceptable here.” 

On Sunday, Snitker said he was unaware of the play with Kelenic and did not see the play until Sunday morning when he arrived at the ballpark. He said that he had a conversation with Kelenic and addressed the issue, but he also added that he has not talked to Acuna about his post.

It definitely isn’t a good look for the manager to be feuding on any level with a star player like Acuna. Some Braves fans on X are speculating about Snitker’s long-term job security if he loses the stars on the team and the club continues to struggle. His contract will expire at the end of this season, while Acuna is under contract through 2026 with team options for 2027 and 2028.

Of course, there is an Acuna active in the MLB right now. Ronald’s younger brother, Luisangel Acuna, is currently playing for the Mets. With the trouble potentially brewing in Atlanta, the Mets scoreboard trolled their NL East rivals on Sunday by putting this on the jumbotron when Acuna was up to bat.

It could end up all being a non-issue without any impact, but it’s definitely a situation to monitor. The Braves need Ronald Acuna Jr. back in the lineup to turn their season around, but questions remain if they can do that with Snitker at the helm.

Zach Thompson
Zach has been part of the DraftKings team since 2017 and covers baseball, basketball, golf, football and any other sport that offers DFS fun. He has been playing fantasy sports since box scores were only available in the newspaper the following day. Even though he grew up almost 8,000 miles away in Guam, he is a diehard Boston sports fan but will take a fantasy value play wherever he can get it, even if it’s from the Yankees.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.