ANAHEIM, Calif. – When he saw Austin Riley take a pitch to the right hand/wrist area, Ramón Laureano had the same reaction as everyone else.
“I said, ‘F—,’” Laureano said.
He probably spoke for his teammates, Braves fans, manager Brian Snitker, president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos, and everyone else who cares about this team.
And everyone will hold their breath a bit longer: After Sunday’s win over the Angels, Snitker said tests on Riley’s hand/wrist were “inconclusive.” The Braves will need to evaluate him further on Monday, and then they’ll be able to say more after that.
In the top of the first inning of Sunday’s game at Angel Stadium, Riley was hit in the right hand/wrist area by a 97-mph sinker from Jack Kochanowicz. Riley, whose toughness usually means he doesn’t react super strongly to pain, immediately dropped the bat and shook his right hand, then bent over in pain.
Braves assistant athletic trainer Jeff Stevenson and Snitker went out to check on Riley. He stayed in to run the bases, but left the game before the bottom of the first. Luke Williams replaced him in the lineup.
On Sunday in Anaheim, Riley underwent X-rays and a CT scan. The results: Inconclusive.
He’ll undergo an MRI in Atlanta as the Braves complete a full battery of tests to determine the severity of his injury. The Braves want Riley in front of their doctors.
“I think it swelled up and was sore, but we just gotta have all the tests done, then we’ll find out (Monday),” Snitker said.
After the game, Riley wasn’t at Angel Stadium. He was scheduled to meet the team at the plane to fly back to Atlanta.
The scene – Riley getting drilled in the hand and immediately feeling the pain – was scary.
“I don’t like it,” Charlie Morton said. “You got a hard thrower on the mound and the ball’s coming up and in, you don’t want to see that ever. I don’t think anybody would want to see that. Hopefully he’s all right.”
The Braves can only hope for the best for one of their players.
They are doing a lot of that lately. It seems like the next injury scare – or injury – is only a day away. An example of that: Riley got a hit a day after Travis d’Arnaud was plunked in the right wrist. D’Arnaud, who exited Saturday’s game after being hit, didn’t feel much better Sunday.
“He was still real sore, so I’m sure they’ll treat him up again (Monday) and we’ll see where he’s at Tuesday,” Snitker said. “He got popped pretty good, too.”
And then there’s Jorge Soler, who’s dealing with a mild left hamstring strain and hasn’t played since Wednesday in San Francisco.
The Braves on Sunday celebrated a series win over the Angels, but of course, it had to come with trepidation about Riley.
The Braves have lost Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider for the season. They’re without Ozzie Albies. They spent a long time without Sean Murphy and Michael Harris II at different points of the season.
They cannot afford to lose Riley, who has been their most consistent hitter aside from Marcell Ozuna. Their lineup would have a difficult time absorbing that hit.
In May, Riley spent two weeks sidelined with intercostal inflammation.
On Sunday, he was drilled in the hand/wrist area – another unlucky situation for a team that has endured too many of them. At this point, the Braves can only pray that Riley’s injury isn’t serious.
“Until we get him home with our people (for further evaluation), we won’t know,” Snitker said.
And until they do, Braves Country will collectively hold its breath.
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