Somehow, this story has taken another turn for the worst.

To say that the start to the 2025 season has been nightmarish for the Atlanta Braves would be an understatement.

The team has played better lately and has won four in a row entering Tuesday’s action, but they’re still just 9-13 overall, and the biggest story generating headlines right now in Atlanta has nothing to do with how well the team is playing.

It all started when Jarred Kelenic inexplicably elected not to run hard after hitting a ball that he thought was a home run. Admiring home runs when they’re actually home runs isn’t a terrible thing, but doing so on a ball that does not clear the wall is inexcusable, especially when you’re not a superstar.

It’s something that Ronald Acuña Jr., an established superstar, has been pulled more than once for doing.

Braves manager Brian Snitker chose not to pull Kelenic from the game despite not running hard, and that, understandably, made Acuña upset. He was so upset, in fact, to the point where he blasted Snitker in a since-deleted tweet for his double standard.

“If it were me, they would take me out of the game,” Acuña Jr. said via X.

Braves fans hoped that this saga would be brushed aside eventually, especially with the team now playing better baseball than it has all season long, but Acuña seems eager to keep the conversation going. He has officially changed his Instagram profile picture to one that says “Desconectado” – disconnected in English.

When did Ronald change his IG pfp? Is this new? pic.twitter.com/mSnaFPPCCi

— Beaneater Buzz (@BeaneaterB) April 22, 2025

This could have a couple of different meanings, and gives Braves fans no clear answers about what’s going on.

Ronald Acuña Jr.’s cryptic Instagram profile picture change leaves Braves fans with more questions than answers
What does it mean? Why did he choose to do this? We can only really speculate on those fronts.

In terms of what it means, there are probably two possibilities. One, which is most likely, is that Acuña is going offline for a while.

This means he won’t be posting anything on any social media platform, whether it’s Instagram or X. He sees the backlash he’s gotten for tweeting what he did, and doesn’t want to cause any more distractions to himself or to his teammates.

The other could possibly be that he’s disassociating himself from the Braves.

That’s easier said than done, of course, especially since Acuña is under club control through the 2028 season, but he might be so fed up with how this situation has transpired to the point where he might want out of Atlanta, especially with Snitker in the dugout.

Regardless of what Acuña’s cryptic activity actually means, Braves fans can’t help but be frustrated by the handling of this whole saga by everyone involved.

Kelenic should’ve hustled out of the box. Snitker should have pulled him for not doing so. Snitker should have acknowledged his mistake for not pulling Kelenic, rather than saying he was asleep at the wheel.

Acuña should have gone to Snitker privately to voice his displeasure with Snitker’s handling of Kelenic not hustling, rather than turning to social media.

Acuña has a right to be upset, but that doesn’t mean turning to X was the best way for him to handle things.

All Braves fans can really do is hope that Acuña eventually gets over this saga. The former MVP winner is expected to return from a year on the sidelines sometime in May.

It’d be better for everybody if this saga didn’t distract himself, the Braves organization, and Braves fans from what should be a very fun time when he does come back.