The Braves introduced Monday that Austin Riley has been identified with a fractured proper hand that can sideline him for six to eight weeks. With just below six weeks remaining on the common season schedule, it might very properly show to be a season-ending damage for the two-time All-Star. Riley was hit by a pitch in yesterday’s sport, and whereas preliminary imaging was inconclusive, an MRI carried out Monday revealed the fracture. Atlanta will presumably make a corresponding roster transfer to position Riley on the injured record and convey up one other infielder (e.g. Nacho Alvarez Jr.).
Atlanta additionally introduced that right-hander Reynaldo Lopez has been reinstated from the injured record, with right-hander Jimmy Herget being optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett in his place. He’s been out since Aug. 2 on account of irritation in his proper forearm.
The lack of Riley is one other crushing blow for a Braves membership that has been hammered by main accidents all season. Even on Opening Day, Atlanta misplaced catcher Sean Murphy to an indirect pressure that in the end price him about two months of the season. That set the tone for a 2024 marketing campaign that has seen Spencer Strider (torn UCL and inside brace surgical procedure), Ronald Acuna Jr. (torn ACL), Ozzie Albies (fractured wrist), A.J. Minter (hip surgical procedure) and Michael Harris II (Grade 2 hamstring pressure) all endure appreciable, if not season-ending accidents.
Riley, 27, hasn’t been at his greatest all season however has, till now, been within the lineup practically daily. He’s additionally picked up the tempo significantly since a dreadful begin to the season. Riley lugged an terrible .228/.295/.353 slash into the month of June … and has since erupted with a .275/.339/.531 that falls proper in keeping with his profession averages. In a lineup that’s incessantly been with out a few of its greatest hitters, he’s been a relentless alongside designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. Now, it’s very doable that Riley’s 2024 season will draw to an in depth with 110 video games performed — though the particular wording of the staff’s announcement leaves the door cracked for Riley to maybe play a number of video games late in September if he heals extra shortly than anticipated and the Braves are nonetheless in Wild Card competition.
In some methods, the truth that the Braves are even nonetheless in possession of a Wild Card spot is exceptional. Strider pitched in simply two video games and yielded seven runs in 9 innings previous to touchdown on the shelf with what turned a season-ending ligament damage. Acuna performed in solely 49 video games. Acuna, Albies (90), Harris (72) and Murphy (50) have all performed in fewer than 100 of the Braves’ 124 video games this season.
Whereas the Braves have had exceedingly poor damage luck, they’ve additionally had a number of issues go proper. Atlanta has improbably gotten not solely a wholesome season out of Chris Sale however a classic, Cy Younger-caliber exhibiting out of the 35-year-old lefty, who’s thrown simply 10 fewer innings this season than he did in all the four-year interval previous the 2024 season. Proper-hander Spencer Schwellenbach has debuted and outpaced expectations. Reynaldo Lopez has improbably gone from reliever to Cy Younger-caliber outcomes himself.
Nonetheless, the lack of Riley is a gut-punch, significantly given how properly he’d been hitting because the calendar flipped to June. The highest of the Braves’ order will now must depend on the aforementioned Ozuna, deadline pickup Jorge Soler and a trio of stars who’ve struggled via down seasons: Harris, Murphy and Matt Olson. Atlanta has gotten stable manufacturing out of some bargain-bin pickups like Ramon Laureano and Whit Merrifield, however the offense they’re trotting out on a nightly foundation shifting ahead received’t resemble the powerhouse lineup they have been anticipated to discipline this season.
Riley will possible get replaced by some mixture of Alvarez and Luke Williams, neither of whom has seemed snug towards massive league pitching this season. Alvarez, the group’s high position-player prospect, nonetheless has simply 38 video games of Triple-A expertise. He’s hit properly there, however the 21-year-old went 3-for-30 in his first style of the majors earlier in the summertime and certain nonetheless wants some extra growth time. He’d by no means performed above A-ball previous to 2024. Williams is 2-for-17 within the majors this season. The 28-year-old journeyman has seen motion in components of 4 massive league campaigns and is a .218/.277/.284 hitter in 283 journeys to the plate.
At seven video games again and now down one other star participant, Atlanta doesn’t have a lot of a path to overtaking the Phillies for the NL East crown. The Braves at the moment maintain the ultimate NL Wild Card spot however are solely two video games up on the division-rival Mets and 4 video games up on the Giants. The Cardinals, Cubs and Reds are all inside six video games of that remaining postseason slot as properly.
