Ex-Mariners OF Kelenic’s mistake sparks Braves drama

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. watched with interest when former Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic was thrown out at second base after failing to hustle out of the batter’s box on a long drive in the Atlanta Braves’ 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.

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Acuña went to social media to criticize the way manager Brian Snitker handled the situation.

Acuña, recovering from surgery after tearing his left ACL last May, replied to a post on X by MLB.com reporter Mark Bowman on Sunday when Bowman was asked if Snitker had commented on Kelenic. Bowman posted that Snitker “protected Kelenic by replying: ‘Was I supposed to’ when asked if he had said anything to Kelenic.”

Acuña replied to Bowman’s post “If it were me, they would take me out of the game.” The response by Acuña was removed about one hour later.

Kelenic’s drive on Saturday night bounced off the wall in right field and he was thrown out at second base by Trevor Larnach.

Acuña was removed from the Braves’ 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 19, 2019. Then only 21 but already an All-Star, Acuña was slow to leave the batter’s box on a long drive that bounced off the right-field wall for a long single.

Snitker waited one inning and then took out Acuña.

“He didn’t run. You’ve got to run,” Snitker said of Acuña after the 2019 game. “It’s not going to be acceptable here. As a teammate you’re responsible for 24 other guys. That name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back of that jersey. You can’t do that. We’re trying to accomplish something and do something special here and personal things have got to be put on the backburner. You just can’t let your team down like that.”

Acuña had his knee evaluated last week and has been cleared to begin cutting as he continues his rehabilitation. He could return to the Braves’ lineup next month.

Acuña was hurt after 49 games last season and hit just .250 with four home runs, one year after winning the National League MVP with 41 home runs, 73 steals and a .337 batting average.

Kelenic, hitting only .170, could lose his starting job when Acuña returns. The Braves entered Sunday’s game with back-to-back wins for the first time this season as new leadoff hitter and left fielder Alex Verdugo got off to a quick start. Verdugo had four hits and drove in the go-ahead run on Saturday night.

The Mariners traded Kelenic, first baseman Evan White and starting pitcher Marco Gonzales to the Braves in exchange for pitchers Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips in December 2023.

Kelenic was the prized prospect acquired when Seattle dealt eight-time All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano and star closer Edwin Díaz to the New York Mets in December 2018.

Kelenic, who was the No. 4 prospect in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 in 2018, struggled over three seasons with the Mariners after debuting in 2021. He batted just .204 with a .656 OPS with 32 home runs and 109 RBIs in 252 games.

The Seattle Sports staff contributed to this report.

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