NEW YORK – The Braves on Sunday removed Austin Riley from the game because he experienced left side tightness that began during batting practice ahead of the series finale with the Mets.
Riley felt the tightness again when swinging through strike three in an at-bat in the third inning. He played third base in the bottom of the third inning, but did not take another at-bat and was replaced by Zack Short in the field for the bottom of the fourth inning.
“It kind of just grabbed at me, more than anything,” Riley said after the game. “I think it was just more precaution, hopefully more than anything. Get in (Monday), see how I feel and hopefully this thing’s day by day.”
Riley will see how he feels when he wakes up on Monday. He doesn’t know if he’ll need an MRI.
Despite feeling this tightness in batting practice, Riley did not alert the Braves to it. This is why he still started the game. Riley initially didn’t think anything of what he felt.
Could it be considered an encouraging sign that Riley didn’t tell the Braves about this because it means he didn’t believe it to be too serious?
“I think so, yeah,” Riley said. “You play 162 games, all season, you feel random things and you typically don’t even think about it. I think that was just one of those things. You get to that second at-bat and swung through a pitch and felt it grab a little bit more. Trying to be smart in the way we go about this versus trying to play through something that hopefully we can get on top of and not miss a whole lot (of time).”
So after Riley’s side grabbed at him in the third inning, the Braves pulled him. They didn’t see a need to push him and risk further injury this early in the season.
“I’m glad Austin said something,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I don’t want him going through something like that then take a big swing and – that’s smart on his part to mention that. A cool night, damp and all that stuff, one game’s not worth that.”
Could Riley play within the next couple of days?
“We’ll see,” Riley said. “I’ll just kind of see how we go in the morning, and I think that’s the best way to put it: Just wake up in the morning, see how I feel and go from there.”
Will he need an MRI?
“That’s a great question. Not really sure,” Riley said. “Probably will see the doc at some point tomorrow, and let them decide from there.”
On opening day, Sean Murphy strained his oblique on the swing. The Braves immediately removed him from the game.
Riley’s case doesn’t seem to be as serious, though no one knows how these situations will turn out. But he stayed in the game and didn’t exit right after striking out. Riley has never injured his oblique, so he cannot go off of any previous experience.
Riley said he won’t be concerned when he heads to Truist Park on Monday, ahead of a three-game series with the Cubs. He’ll see how his body feels in the morning and go from there.
“Hopefully I come in (Monday) feeling good and kind of see where we’re at there,” Riley said.
To this point in the season, Riley hasn’t yet gotten hot. He’s batting .245 with a .707 OPS. He’s hit only three homers.
In 2021, Riley played 160 of 162 games. In 2022 and 2023, he missed only three of 162 games.
If he can play, he will play. And the Braves, of course, are hoping for the best-case scenario with their starting third baseman.
“I’m hoping he plays (Monday),” Snitker said. “I don’t know if he will. Once we get back and they see him and test him and all that kind of stuff, then we’ll know (Monday).”
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