Devastating Austin Riley injury update may be the nail in the Braves' coffin

Eric Cole

Aug 11, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) throws to first for an out in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the fact that the Atlanta Braves had a productive road trip, all eyes were on Austin Riley and whether or not he would be the latest Brave to land on the injured list. Riley was hit by a fastball in his hand/wrist area on Sunday against the Angels and when the initial exams were inconclusive, fans were understandably concerned.

Usually, when a more serious injury in these HBP situations can't be ruled out, the news is not good. However, there was at least a small chance that he avoided a long-term injury despite how bad things looked in the moment.

Sadly, that was not the case as the Braves announced Riley has a fracture in his hand is going to miss at least 6-8 weeks which effectively removes him from the equation for the rest of the regular season. The team also reinstated Reynaldo Lopez from the IL in a widely expected move.

Austin Riley today underwent an MRI that revealed a right hand fracture. He is expected to miss approximately six to eight weeks.

Additionally, the club today returned RHP Reynaldo López from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list, and optioned…
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 19, 2024

Braves News: Austin Riley to miss 6-8 weeks with hand fracture after HBP

This is honestly unbelievable. The Braves had already lost Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. to season-ending injuries, have been without Lopez who had been a revelation for the Braves until today, and are waiting for Ozzie Albies to return from the IL with his broken wrist. Now, Atlanta will once again have to figure out how to cover the loss of another franchise cornerstone-caliber player in Riley.

Nacho Alvarez is the most obvious roster move here as he has experience at third base and is on the 40-man roster, but he struggled in his first look at the big leagues and doesn't have anywhere near the offensive ability or ceiling that Riley has. One hopes that other members of the Braves' lineup can step up the rest of the season, but Atlanta is running out of guys that are even capable of that as banged up as they are.

All of sudden, the Braves find themselves hanging on to the last playoff spot in the NL and down yet another of their best players.

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Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.