When you have players that are very competitive, teams often have to get them out of their own way. While the player may want to play through a minor injury or avoid taking days off no matter what, sometimes officials have to keep them off the field for their own good. Unfortunately, it is sounding more and more like the Braves' handling of Austin Riley this season didn't follow that advice.
Right after the Speedway Classic, the Braves placed Riley on the injured list with an abdominal injury. He was apparently hurt making a play in the field and with any sort of injury this late in the season, the odds of a guy just being done for the season go up a lot.
There was initial optimism that Riley could return relatively quickly, but the latest update has Riley still feeling discomfort in his abdomen and he will be out a while longer. With that update, there are understandably some questions about how the Braves handled Riley's previous abdominal injury and if they rushed him back too quickly.
Snit said he expects Acuña to be activated within the next couple days. Riley still felt some discomfort when he threw yesterday. So, it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be activated this week.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 13, 2025
Austin Riley's prolonged absence with an abdominal injury should make Braves take a look in the mirror
We all get what probably happened here. Riley first got hurt in July after starting the month hot, then was activated just a couple of weeks later without a minor league rehab ramp up period. The Braves had run out of viable options to play in the field while they tried to salvage respectability and Riley wants to be on the field under any circumstances.
Unfortunately, it is looking more and more like that decision was a mistake and could leave Atlanta without Riley for even longer than they would have had they just left him on the IL until he was actually healed up. While the team and Riley will both say that they made the best decision they could with the information they had, but it isn't a coincidence that Riley's abdomen is causing him problems again. Now, they are faced with an uncertain return timeline now that his injury is still bothering him a couple weeks later.
One hopes the Braves learned their lesson this time and won't let Riley convince them to put him on the field before he was ready. Abdominal injuries are finicky and more than a couple of them have turned into hernias or other long-term issues when they aren't handled correctly. Even if Riley is forced to sit on the shelf until the end of the season, Atlanta can't rush him back this time.