Jarred Kelencic, Braves player at center of double standard call-out by Ronald Acuña Jr, sent down to Triple-A

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The Atlanta Braves have optioned outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A, about one week after being the center of controversy in the clubhouse. 

Ronald Acuña Jr., the Braves star outfielder, took exception to manager Brian Snitker’s answer to a reporter after the skipper didn’t reprimand Kelenic for a lack of hustle during the team’s April 19 game. 

Kelenic smashed a baseball to right field, and he was walking out of the batter’s box like it was going to be a home run. But, when it hit the top of the wall and stayed inside the ballpark, he tried turning what should’ve been a single into a double. 

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Kelenic was thrown out at second base, where he likely would’ve had a stand-up double if he hadn’t jogged out of the box. 

After the game, Snitker didn’t understand the reporter’s question about disciplining Kelenic, which led Acuña to voice his opinion on X.

"If it were me, they would take me out of the game," he wrote. 

BRAVES STAR RONALD ACUÑA JR. EXPOSES DOUBLE STANDARD WITH TEAM: ‘THEY WOULD TAKE ME OUT OF THE GAME’

Acuña later deleted the post, but many people saw it and brought it up to Snitker. 

To Acuña’s double standard post, he does have history on his side.

In 2019, Snitker benched him for mishaps on the bases, when he did the same thing as Kelenic. Acuña, though, decided to stay at first base after realizing the ball didn’t go out as he had hoped. 

"He didn’t run," Snitker said at the time, via ESPN. "You’ve got to run. It’s not going to be acceptable here."

Now, Kelenic’s demotion to Triple-A Gwinnett isn’t directly correlated with his lack of hustle, but rather his lack of production to start the 2025 season. He is hitting just .167 with a .531 OPS in 65 plate appearances thus far. 

Once one of MLB’s top prospects with the New York Mets, Kelenic hasn’t had the best time in the bigs, which began with the Seattle Mariners as part of the trade for Mets closer Edwin Diaz and former Met Robinson Cano. 

He hit just .204 with 32 homers and 109 RBI in three seasons with Seattle before being traded to Atlanta before the 2024 season. 

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