The Braves announced that third baseman Austin Riley will not return for either the regular season or postseason this year. A recent CT scan of his broken hand showed that it has not healed sufficiently to remove the cast. At this point, he does not have enough time to recover and return to the club. David O’Brien of The Athletic was among those who relayed the news from manager Brian Snitker to X.
Riley suffered the injury on August 18 when he was hit in the hand by a pitch. The following day, the club announced the fracture and that he was expected to be fit in about six to eight weeks. At that point, there were only about six weeks of the regular season left, but there was still hope that Riley could return for the postseason if the club played well into October.
Unfortunately, his hand and the calendar have conspired against him and he will not be able to help the club this year, no matter how long they survive without him. It’s an unfortunate development for Atlanta, as Riley has been one of their best players in recent years. From 2021 to present, he has hit 127 home runs and hit .280/.348/.513 for a wRC+ of 132. In 2024, he struggled at times, but still managed to hit 19 home runs and hit .256/.322/.461 for a wRC+ of 116 before suffering his injury.
This is just the latest in a series of injuries that have hampered the club all year. Spencer Strider required UCL surgery in April. Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered a cruciate ligament tear in June. Ozzie Albies And Michael Harris II also missed a lot of time due to injury, but are now both back.
These injuries have been instrumental in the club having a disappointing year. Going into 2024, they were considered one of the top teams in the major leagues, but they are currently fighting for survival. At 85-71, they are 1.5 games behind the Diamondbacks for the final wild card spot in the National League, with the Mets also half a game ahead of the Snakes. Atlanta could still secure a spot, especially since they begin a three-game series against the Mets tonight, but that is not the spot they had planned to be in.
They have to try to force their way into the playoffs without Riley and then make it through the postseason without him. Gio Urshela was signed to fill in for Riley at third base and will likely continue to do so. Since joining the team, he has hit .270/.289/.423 for a wRC+ of 95. Perhaps Whit Merrifield is now considered as Albies is back at second, although Merrifield is playing despite a fracture of his left foot.
Riley will continue to play a big role for the club going forward, as he signed a 10-year, $212 million contract extension in August 2022. The contract runs through 2032 and has a club option for 2033. Once his hand heals, he will likely have a fairly normal offseason to prepare for 2025.
