It began with a win. Three straight, in fact. The kind of mini-streak that teams cling to after a slow start, hoping that momentum has finally arrived. Spirits were lifting, bats were warming, and it looked like the storm was beginning to clear. Then, with one tweet, the sunshine vanished. Ronald Acuña Jr., still sidelined, posted a since-deleted statement that lit up MLB like a bat flip in a playoff game. The statement wasn’t long, but it struck deep. The recipient? The Braves’ manager. And the fallout? Not everyone took it lightly.
So, what happened? During the Braves’ recent win over the Twins, Jarred Kelenic hit a ball off the wall. He trotted out of the box, thinking the ball was gone. It wasn’t, and he ended up with a single. No benching, no talking-to, and nothing from Brian Snitker. That’s when Acuña Jr. decided to stir the pot.
He took a subtle jab on social media and said, “If it were me…” The post was up just long enough to trigger a firestorm before it was taken down. However, the damage was done, and fans quickly recalled how Acuña Jr. himself was benched back in 2019 by the management for a similar mistake. Fast forward to now — same mistake by Kelenic, however, a very different reaction from the management. Naturally, fans asked why.
Enter Mark DeRosa. The Team USA manager didn’t hold back. He didn’t take issue with Acuña Jr.’s opinion, but instead criticized the way the star aired his thoughts. “We are all grown men”, he said during a heated segment on MLB Central. “If you got something to say, walk into the manager’s office and talk to him like a grown man. To sit back and use social media — knowing it was going to incite a riot — that is my hang-up with it,” he added.
That wasn’t all. DeRosa pointed out that the Braves had just taken three in a row from Minnesota and were finally establishing some momentum after a sluggish 8-13 start. “You knew what it was going to do and how it was going to move on social media,” the analyst said. “It is just not the move.” DeRosa also shared that he himself had been benched by multiple managers, calling it a rite of passage for selfish or lazy play. So yes, he agreed with Acuña Jr.’s point-but criticized the process.
Braves pressure test: Ronald Acuña Jr.’s contract
With the Acuña-Snitker saga still simmering, the team now faces another question: what to do with Marcell Ozuna. It is not just about his age and contract status—it is about the optics. This team is wrestling with questions of leadership, public scrutiny, and a team dynamic that could change quickly. Trading a red-hot Ozuna, who is slashing .317/.500/.540 with four HR and a 1.040 OPS, wouldn’t just be a roster move—it could set the tone for how seriously the team needs to recalibrate and reload.
Ozuna’s trade value hasn’t looked this good in years. And with the slugger on the final leg of his deal, contenders could come calling—especially those starved for power and an elite DH option. ESPN’s David Schoenfield put it bluntly: “He would fill a middle-of-the-order need for a DH-starved club.” That review is not effective speculation. It is a warning. The team is walking a fine line between preparing for October and safeguarding their long-term core, with stars like Matt Olson, Spencer Strider, and Austin Riley locked in through 2028. Acuña Jr.’s contract now looks like a pressure point.
It is unclear if Alex Anthopoulos is ready to make that kind of statement move. But with Acuña Jr. returning soon and Ozuna’s hitting reminiscent of his 2017 season, the roster is at a crossroads. The next few weeks could determine how the team reshapes its identity—not just for this season, but for the future. Whether it is real smoke or just trade-season voices, the Braves find themselves in the hot seat.
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