Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. made his thoughts known after teammate Jarred Kelenic came under fire for not hustling out of the batter’s box during Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins.
(Video source: MLB.com)
Kelenic was thrown out at second base after admiring a ball off the right-field wall in a 3-3 game in the sixth inning.
Braves manager Brian Snitker appeared to protect Kelenic following the game. However, Acuña posted a since-deleted tweet that the situation would’ve played out differently if the 2023 NL MVP was involved.
Kelenic went into Snitker’s office after Sunday’s contest to apologize for not running harder on the play, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, who adds the skipper admitted he didn’t see what the player did.
“I don’t look for him to not (hustle), because he plays with his hair on fire all the time, and he’s laying out,” Snitker said. “I didn’t know it until I saw it this morning.”
Snitker also acknowledged he hasn’t spoken to Acuña, who was removed from a game in August 2019 for a lack of hustle on a similar play.
“I heard about it as I was walking to the dugout,” the 69-year-old said when asked about Acuña’s response. “I heard something was up. I came in and they said it was down. I haven’t talked to him, so I don’t know.”
Acuña is on the injured list as he continues to rehab from knee surgery after he tore his left ACL last May. The 27-year-old also tore his right ACL during the Braves’ championship-winning campaign in 2021.
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