Ronald Acuña Jr. Hints at Double Standard After Brian Snitker Declines to Bench Jarred Kelenic for Lack of Hustle

Does Braves manager Brian Snitker hold different players to different standards? Ronald Acuña Jr. seems to think so.

During the Braves' 4-3 victory over the Twins, outfielder Jarred Kelenic misjudged what he thought was a home run and jogged out of the batter’s box. The ball, however, hit high off the right-field wall and was played cleanly by Trevor Larnach, who threw out Kelenic at second base. Had Kelenic run hard from the start, he likely would have reached safely.

Despite the costly baserunning mistake, Snitker kept Kelenic in the game — a decision that raised eyebrows among fans and, apparently, Acuña himself.

After the game, Snitker was asked if he addressed the lack of hustle with Kelenic and responded, “Was I supposed to?” That answer stood in stark contrast to how he handled a similar incident with Acuña in 2019, when the young star was benched mid-game for not hustling on a deep fly ball he thought was a homer.

“He didn’t run,” Snitker said back then. “You’ve got to run. It’s not going to be acceptable here.”

Acuña didn’t forget. After MLB.com’s Mark Bowman posted Snitker’s current comments on X, Acuña replied, “If it were me, they would take me out of the game.” The post was later deleted but not before fans captured screenshots.

The perception of a double standard has sparked debate, especially considering Snitker also benched Ender Inciarte (2018) and Marcell Ozuna (2023) for similar offenses. Snitker later told reporters on Sunday that he missed the Kelenic play live and spoke to the outfielder after reviewing the video — a conversation Kelenic reportedly initiated, according to The Athletic's David O’Brien.

Snitker maintains that each situation is unique and requires its own evaluation, but the discrepancy hasn’t gone unnoticed — particularly by his reigning NL MVP.

Acuña remains sidelined as he recovers from ACL surgery, with hopes of returning next month. Meanwhile, the Braves, sitting in last place in the NL East at 8-13, could certainly use his spark — both on the field and in the clubhouse.

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