Seeing your leadoff hitter batting seventh highlights the extent of the problems. That’s the vibe in the Atlanta Braves these days, where Ronald Acuna Jr., a former MVP and key player for the team, is hitting behind guys who wouldn’t have made his rookie-year highlight reel. The experts are watching, and they just pointed it out in the most straightforward manner.

This season was supposed to be Ronald Acuna Jr.’s chance to make things right, but instead, it has hit turmoil. Even though he has good stats, with a 92.3 average exit velocity and a .386 wOBA, the spark that made him must-watch has been missing. Reason? The ACL injury has kept him out from May 2024 to May 2025. And on top of that, the decision to move him down in the lineup has made things even worse.

Emphasizing exactly that on the MLB Tonight, in a discussion between Greg, Plesac and Harold, they suggested trading him. The conversation began with a flashback when the Braves won the World Series ring back in 2021, when Acuna Jr was out due to an ACL injury.

Greg began, “They won a world championship without him. Remember, he was hurt for the whole year. They won a World Series. He’s got a club-friendly contract. It’s so club-friendly, you wonder if he’s still happy with it…” He pointed out that Acuna is owed $17 million next year, and that he will have two club options for the same. The conversation continued, “If you wanted to trade round Acuna Jr, you’d have a lot of takers. You would get a haul in return for Ronald Acuna jr.” And of course, the trade talk didn’t stop there.

Harold Reynolds didn’t hesitate to point out, “Greg, you might think I’m crazy. But did I not say that… trade him. Everybody thought I was nuts but that’s how you flip your organization around. If you’re gonna put him at six or seven in the lineup…that is destroying the player and that ain’t helping your team at all.”

It’s not only weird to move an MVP like Ronald Acuna Jr. from the top of the lineup to sixth or seventh, it’s almost unbelievable. As Reynolds ranted on the show when the team is anyway going nowhere, you put your best man in the first! “Period.”

This seems to be a message from the Braves: You are no longer the offensive heart of the team and may not be their future. It’s hard to argue it doesn’t feel unthinkable —you don’t hurt your best player unless there’s a bigger plan in motion.

The NL reality check hits even harder.

Atlanta’s chances of making the playoffs are off the board, despite being a -325 favorite to do so during spring training. They have a record of 64-79 and are 4th in the NL. That’s more than simply disappointment. It’s organizational whiplash—currently 12 games behind the last wild-card slot. They’ve lost five games and are now five games below .500 after a terrible start to the season (0–7) and an extended losing streak in June. The “NL disaster” vibe is best summed up by the 18–2 loss over the weekend against the Mariners.

“Winning games doesn’t really matter anymore,” Greg noted, mentioning keeping Ronald happy should be the team’s top priority now.

“Maybe we’ll have a little soap opera in the ATL,” Greg concluded the conversation of Acuna being the Braves’ leadoff hitter with a sarcastic tone.

Trading an MVP with four team-friendly years remaining violates every franchise playbook, but Atlanta’s clubhouse drama is forcing them into previously unthinkable territory. And now, the skipper has just been thrown under the bus for moving Acuna Jr. in the lineup.

Braves’ downfall deepens as Snitker demotes Acuna

As the Braves’ season goes sideways, Brian Snitker is getting a lot of pressure.

Ronald Acuna Jr., the face of the team, has been relegated to the seventh slot in the lineup during a terrible slump. People close to the team think Snitker’s attitude has gone too far and is now embarrassing.

As Mark Powell of FanSided put it: “While Braves fans may not have much to root for at this juncture, if this truly is Snitker’s final month in charge, he’s treating it just like any other — by sending a message to his star player in the midst of a slump. No one is tougher on Acuña Jr. than himself, and by moving him down in the lineup two days in a row, Snitker is taking unnecessary shots at a player who is just trying to get healthy again.”

The two games were on Saturday and Sunday against the Mariners. When Acuna was already struggling with a 0-for-23 slump.

From another angle, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report highlighted the context: “Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year—even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan. At 69, though, he’s already the oldest manager in the National League by a several-year margin and was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.” Undoubtedly, this supposed final year is characterized by significant turbulence.

The next few months in Atlanta will shape the franchise for the future. Do they stick with their star and hope things get better, or do they make a move that could haunt them? With Snitker probably leaving, Acuna’s confidence seems to be shot; the Braves are at a crossroads!