Ronald Acuña Jr. Under Fire for Recent Controversial Post

National League Division Series: Los Angeles Dodgers v Atlanta Braves - Game Three

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 06: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves is walked to first base during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 06, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

In the almost immediate aftermath of the Atlanta Braves being eliminated from the MLB playoffs, a report surfaced that Ronald Acuña Jr. had partnered with the predictions company Kalshi.

NYT Reporter Andrew Baggarly wrote (on 10/7):

“Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. has partnered with Kalshi, making him the first Major League Baseball player to venture into the potentially thorny area of prediction markets.”

Amid the Braves being eliminated from the MLB playoffs, Acuña Jr. has since been under fire for a controversial social media post in which he is promoting the company, Kalshi.

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Ronald Acuña Jr. Sends Out Kalshi Promotion Post

Well, now that Ronald Acuña Jr. is partnered with Kalshi, he has to promote the company, right?

He did just that with the following post:

Ronald Acuña Jr.

@ronaldacunajr24 · Follow

No house, but I have a home @Kalshi

Watch on X

6:06 pm · 22 Oct 2026

1390 Reply Copy link Read 117 replies

It’s a 30-second-long video with a Kalshi tag and shoutout at the end.

Since being posted on Thursday (10/22) evening, the message has garnered over 540K views, 1.3K likes, and 100+ comments.

Here are some notable comments of being expressing their displeasure/frustration:

@kirbyssmart: “Gambling has infected everything I love”

@AdrianLaFosse: “Love ya, dude, but taking Kalshi money is sad. The world has a gambling problem, and now it is a push away on their phone.”

@hesipsgreen: “this video is .30 seconds long and you hit .133 in the playoffs vs the dodgers!”

Kalshi likely opened up the checkbook to get a partnership with Acuña Jr., and sometimes it’s hard to fault athletes for taking on these partnerships when it’s such an easy payday.

@og_yungdilly: “Listen I gamble dang near everyday nothing crazy But even im getting tired of all these ads man like how much are they paying u for this”

@justincamblin: “Disappointed you’re promoting gambling. This stuff will ruin sports and people’s lives.”

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Ronald Acuña Jr.’s 2026 Season at a Glance

National League Division Series: Los Angeles Dodgers v Atlanta Braves - Game Four — GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 07: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 07, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Atlanta Braves fans are surely going to remember Ronald Acuña Jr.’s lack of production at the plate during the team’s playoff run in 2026, but let’s take a closer look at some of his regular-season stats.

Acuña Jr. isn’t quite the MVP-level player that he once was, but the 5X MLB All-Star is still a very good player.

His 2026 season was slightly hindered by a pair of lower-body injuries, but Ronald still played in 107 games, and over 408 at-bats, he batted .255 with 20 home runs, 55 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and an OPS+ of 118. He also added 61 runs scored, 104 hits, and 18 doubles in those 107 GP.

There’s also been some speculation that Acuña Jr. could be traded this offseason due to his contract having a team option, which would certainly leave a mixed reaction across Braves Country.

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