It’s good news for the Atlanta Braves. Austin Riley is going to be just fine. After taking a fastball off his right hand in what felt like a scary repeat of last year’s nightmare, the big third baseman is officially day-to-day with no fractures, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Crisis averted.
Riley Was on Fire Before Last Year’s Injury
If you remember, Riley wasn’t so lucky last August. A hit-by-pitch put him on the shelf for the rest of the season, and just like that, the Braves lost one of their most dangerous bats.
But before that injury, Riley was locked in. His full-season numbers in 2024 weren’t eye-popping—a .256/.322/.461 slash line with 19 homers and 56 RBIs over 110 games—but let’s dig deeper.
He slashed .292/.354/.588 with 16 home runs and 46 RBIs in the 57 games before his season was cut short. When you stretch that over a full 162-game season, that equates to 45 homers and 102 RBIs. That’s MVP-level production.
Spring Training Numbers Show No Signs of Rust
The concern that Riley will not bounce back in 2025 can be tossed out the window. He’s absolutely raking after his slow start to spring training.
He’s hitting .308 with a .879 OPS overall, but since March 2, he’s hitting an absurd .466. If there was any rust still left, it’s long gone.
Braves Dealing with Other Injury Concerns
While Riley dodged a bullet, the Braves haven’t completely escaped the injury bug. Catcher Sean Murphy is set to miss the start of the regular season with a cracked rib.
And left fielder Jurickson Profar, one of the team’s big offseason signings, has a bone bruise on his left wrist after a diving attempt in the outfield. So far, Atlanta’s avoided total chaos, but these early injuries are at least a little concerning.
The Braves will be busy on today with a split-squad day. Half the team heads to Fort Myers to take on the Red Sox at 1:05 p.m., where Chris Sale will face his old team. Meanwhile, AJ Smith-Shawver will get the ball back in North Port against the Twins.
Spring training is winding down for the Atlanta Braves and MLB. With Opening Day around the corner, all eyes will be on Riley to keep swinging a hot bat—and, hopefully, stay out of harm’s way.
