Braves’ Austin Riley avoids hand fracture after getting hit by pitch

Braves fans, you can breathe a sigh of relief: Riley didn’t suffer a fracture in his right hand, manager Brian Snitker said after the game. He is day-to-day. He won’t need to go back to Atlanta for further testing.

“You get scared any time somebody’s hit in the hand or anything like that — there’s so many small bones,” Snitker said. “We saw last year what can happen. You’re worried until you find out. You just don’t know.”

After the ball tailed in and hit Riley in his right hand, he was in pain. He tried shaking it out as he began jogging to first base. Braves head athletic trainer George Poulis met him in the baseline before he reached the bag to quickly evaluate him. Snitker said Riley tested well with Poulis, who had Riley squeeze his hand.

First, Riley underwent X-rays, which were negative.

Then he had a CT scan, which confirmed there was no fracture.

The Braves initially said Riley was removed “as a precaution” after getting hit in the hand. This is the team’s standard messaging for when a player is removed for something like this.

“I’m glad it turned out good,” Snitker said.

After getting hit by the pitch, Riley stayed in to run the bases in the bottom of the first inning. Nick Allen replaced him at third base for the top of the second.

The situation oddly resembled the scene at Angel Stadium in August, when Riley was drilled in the hand by a fastball. The fracture, revealed by MRI, ended his season because it didn’t heal as quickly as he’d hoped.

Luckily, Riley avoided another fracture. He’ll be at the facility in North Port on Saturday.

“I don’t know what he’s going to do (Saturday),” Snitker said. “He’s day-to-day.”

In the bottom of the second inning, Rutledge threw inside to Orlando Arcia and almost hit him. The crowd didn’t like it.

“You’re so bad!” one fan yelled.

The Braves might be particularly sensitive to wild pitchers. A season ago, they saw Riley’s season ended when he was hit by a pitch. This spring, Sean Murphy suffered a cracked rib, which will force him to miss the first week or two of the season.

The Braves also had an injury scare with Jurickson Profar, who has a bone bruise on his left wrist after rolling over that wrist on a diving play in left field in a recent game. Profar expects to be ready for the team’s March 27 opener in San Diego, where he formerly played.

The Braves, of course, hope Riley will be in the lineup, too. That it only took them a couple hours to confirm he didn’t suffer a fracture was encouraging.

No pitcher is trying to hit a hitter, but there is increased risk in an era when better stuff sometimes means less control.

“Scary,” Snitker said.