Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. spoke on his viral tweet about Brian Snitker and Jarred Kelenic for the first time on Wednesday.
He expressed his gratitude for being able to clear the air with manager Brian Snitker and his teammates and put it behind them.
“That was just a moment of frustration for me,” Acuña said via translator and Braves Director, Baseball Player Relations Franco García. “Thankfully, I was able to apologize to Snit. I was in the wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. But thankfully, I was able to apologize to Snit to his face, to apologize to my teammates. We’re just turning the page and moving on.”
For context, outfielder Jarred Kelenic had a blunder on the basepaths. He hit a shot that went off the wall. He thought it was going to go out, so he began a home run trot. However, when he saw it go off the wall, he tried to turn on the jets and push for second base instead of holding at first. He was tagged out upon review.
Snitker didn’t address it during or after the game.
“Was I supposed to?” Snitker said when asked if he spoke to Kelenic.
When MLB.com’s Mark Bowman addressed the comment on Twitter/X the following morning, Acuña replied to the post, “If it were me, they would take me out of the game.”
The tweet was deleted shortly after, but it had already gone viral.
Acuña said he was frustrated about his situation – still having to recover and not being able to be there for the team. The team’s struggles added to it.
He emphasized his pride in being a member of the Braves. He doesn’t think that is any tension between him and his teammates either.
“I talked to them man-to-man and admitted that I was wrong. I told them I wouldn’t have any excuses. I took accountability for it. We have a really good relationship. I think we’ll be able to move on just fine.”
Acuña is with the Braves in Atlanta Wednesday night. He’ll head up to Gwinnett for the next stage of his rehab assignment starting Thursday.
