Preliminary x-rays and a CT scan on Austin Riley’s proper wrist and hand have been “inconclusive” after the third baseman was hit by a Jack Kochanowicz pitch in Sunday’s sport with the Angels, Braves supervisor Brian Snitker informed reporters (together with Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Structure). Riley will bear an MRI on Monday in the course of the Braves’ off-day, as Snitker mentioned the workforce’s personal medical workers needs to completely discover Riley’s standing.
It could possibly be seen as an ominous signal that the primary set of exams didn’t definitively say whether or not or not Riley had suffered a break or a fracture, however it additionally stands to purpose that the membership would wish to be as cautious as attainable with one in every of its star gamers. Since we’re in the midst of August, a extra critical kind of damage might finish Riley’s season fully, together with each the common season and no matter postseason run the Braves may but take pleasure in.
Simply attending to the playoffs has been much more tough than anticipated for Atlanta, as accidents and an unexpectedly common offense have contributed to lots of inconsistency. The Braves are nonetheless 66-58 and in possession of the ultimate NL wild card slot, however they maintain solely a two-game lead over the Mets for that wild card berth, and the Phillies stay seven video games forward of Atlanta within the NL East race. After bursting out of the gates to an 18-6 file of their first 24 video games, the Braves have since posted a sub-.500 file (48-52) whereas weathering season-ending accidents to such stars as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider. The remainder of Ozzie Albies’ 2024 marketing campaign can be in jeopardy as a consequence of a fractured wrist, and each Jorge Soler and Travis d’Arnaud have been out of the lineup in current days.
Riley additionally missed shut to 2 weeks earlier this season as a consequence of an intercostal pressure, although the Braves made the curious resolution to not really place him on the 10-day IL throughout that stretch, leaving the workforce short-handed for an prolonged time period. The damage contributed to a really gradual begin to the season for Riley, however his bat has come to life because the season has gone on, with 16 house runs and .275/.337/.531 slash line over his final 285 plate appearances.
There’s no simple approach for the Braves to interchange such All-Star ranges of manufacturing if Riley is dealing with a prolonged IL stint, and it’ll be even trickier to fill Riley’s spot at third base now that the commerce deadline has handed. Luke Williams took over on the scorching nook on Sunday, and such veterans as Leury Garcia and Zack Brief are at Triple-A as further depth.
As unsure as Riley’s scenario could also be, some damage reduction is on the horizon for the rotation, as Reynaldo Lopez was introduced because the starter for Atlanta’s sport on Tuesday when the Braves begin an essential sequence in opposition to the Phillies. Lopez will return after lacking simply barely past the 15-day minimal after he was positioned on the IL as a consequence of forearm irritation on August 2.
Lopez’s begin on July 28 was reduce quick by his damage, however exams revealed no structural harm. Whereas even much less critical varieties of forearm issues can linger, Lopez appears like he has been capable of get better in fairly quick order, and he acquired as much as 71 pitches in a Triple-A rehab outing final Tuesday.
Signed to a three-year, $30M free agent deal final winter, Lopez has excelled in his return to beginning pitching. Although he has labored virtually completely as a reliever in the course of the 2022-23 seasons with the White Sox, Angels, and Guardians, Lopez has posted a 2.06 ERA over 104 2/3 innings for Atlanta this season. Between Lopez, Cy Younger Award candidate Chris Sale, and stable performances from Max Fried, Charlie Morton, and rookie Spencer Schwellenbach, the Braves have restricted the harm after Strider was misplaced for the yr.
