The Atlanta Braves keep selling this idea that their lineup can be anything — flexible, matchup-driven, modern. And in theory, sure. But if their “default” alignment against left-handed starters is what it’s starting to look like, it may quietly dump a ridiculous amount of responsibility onto Austin Riley.
If Atlanta is rolling with back-to-back left-handed bats near the top against lefty starters, it changes how opposing teams get to attack the entire first third of the order. Left-on-left at-bats early can slow the inning down, shorten the rally window, and make it easier for a starter to settle in. Even if those guys grind, the damage often has to come from the right-handed thump that follows.
Which is exactly where Riley becomes the hinge.
Braves may be flirting with a lefty problem that puts the spotlight on Austin Riley
If the Braves’ top is even slightly neutralized by a quality lefty, Riley is the one who ends up staring at the biggest at-bats first: early traffic, first real RBI spot, first moment where the other dugout has to decide, “Are we pitching around someone today?” That’s not a problem when Riley looks like a middle-of-the-order bully. It’s a problem when the Braves are needing him to be that guy.
This gets uncomfortable because Riley really needs a bounceback season. The Braves can talk all day about balance and platoons, but balance doesn’t matter if the lineup’s biggest right-handed run producer isn’t consistently winning the matchups he’s supposed to win.
The good news? Riley’s ceiling is literally built for this assignment. He’s one of the few hitters in the league who can erase a lefty’s best pitch with one swing and flip a game in two minutes. The bad news? The lineup construction is basically daring him to prove it — repeatedly — because the way this order stacks against left-handed starters could create stretches where Atlanta’s offense feels dependent on Riley doing the heavy lifting.
The Braves can lean into lefties up top and call it modern, but if that’s the setup, it’s Riley who has to make it work when the inning gets sticky.
And if he’s not back to being Riley? Those plans may start feeling like a bet.