Ronald Acuna controversy brews over alleged comments about ‘overbearing’ Freddie Freeman
Ronald Acuna says he never made critical comments about his now-former Braves teammate Freddie Freeman, despite several accounts to the contrary.
The Atlanta outfielder, 24, appeared alongside reporter Yancen Pujols this week for an interview on Instagram Live that was conducted in Spanish, according to Larry Brown Sports. A breakdown of the Q&A appeared Wednesday evening on Twitter, via the Baseball GIFs page, with Acuna apparently stating that he and Freeman, 32, butted heads.
“Ronald Acuña Jr. was just on IG Live and according to our resident bilingual r/Braves user, he said: – He won’t miss Freddie Freeman. – They had friction. – Freeman didn’t care when he was plunked. – He was overbearing. – He wasn’t someone Ronald could talk to ever,” the Baseball GIFs account tweeted of the exchange.
Though Pujols himself confirmed that the account presented online was accurate, Acuna disagreed, tweeting, “I NEVER SAY THAT,” alongside a trio of clown emojis.
MLB Insider Hector Gomez also disputed Acuna’s denial, writing, “I was in the IG live and I can confirm every single word in the tweet.”
In a separate message, Pujols elaborated on the interview, with Acuna alleging that Freeman “wasn’t nice to him in his rookie year,” even touching upon rookie hazing.
Acuna, a two-time All-Star, made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2018. Freeman, was originally selected by the Braves in the second round of the 2007 draft. The first baseman made his debut three years later and had been part of the team until March of this year, when he signed a six-year, $162 million deal with the Dodgers.
Acuna is currently recovering from a torn ACL suffered in July of 2021. The Braves hope he can rejoin the team in May.
