NORTH PORT, Fla. – When Austin Riley was hit in the right hand during Friday’s game, he immediately thought of the moment last August he was drilled by a pitch and suffered a right hand fracture that ended his season.
“Yeah. It hit pretty close to where it did in August, so yeah, that was the first thing that popped in my mind,” Riley said. “But as the hours went on, the day went on, it started to feel better. It’s honestly feeling pretty good (Saturday).”
In the clubhouse at CoolToday Park on Saturday, Riley didn’t have a brace, a wrap or a cast on his right hand. He said he hit in the batting cage and felt good. In the afternoon, he took batting practice in the main stadium with his teammates. He was in the lineup for Saturday evening’s game against the Twins in North Port.
“I feel good,” Riley said hours before the spring contest. “I think we dodged a bullet.”
In the game against Minnesota, Riley went 1-for-3 with a double. If there were any doubts about his hand, he erased them.
As Riley shook his right hand after Washington’s Jackson Rutledge plunked him on Friday, it seemed like, at worst, perhaps Riley suffered another fracture. It looked and sounded bad.
But X-rays and a CT scan were negative for a fracture. And instead of being out for months – which likely would’ve been the case had he fractured the hand – Riley returned a day later. Phew.
He didn’t seem concerned about the hand. It was feeling better on Saturday, evidenced by the fact that he hit in the cage and took batting practice. With less than two weeks to go before Opening Day in San Diego, the Braves don’t need to be taking any chances. Yet here was Riley going through his routine as normal.
Riley said Friday’s pitch hit him two inches away from where the one in August did. Both plunked his palm. He lucked out this time.
It might have helped – and may aid him in the future – that Mizuno created batting gloves with padding on the palm area for Riley. The company, which outfits Riley with its gear, designed the gloves this way after the August incident.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Asked when he’ll play again, Riley repeated that he feels good and will wait to see when the team puts him in the lineup. Hours later, he was in the lineup.
This is the best-case outcome after Friday’s scary incident.
“I just need to see (the ball) earlier and get out of the way, I guess,” Riley quipped sarcastically.
Recently, Sean Murphy was drilled in the ribs by a fastball and suffered a cracked rib. He could miss one or two weeks of the regular season. Jurickson Profar suffered a bone bruise on his left wrist trying to make a diving play in the outfield, but he said he expects to be ready for Opening Day on March 27 against his former team.
On Friday, it seemed like the Braves might need to go without another starter when Riley was drilled and appeared to be in pain.
In an age when stuff often reigns supreme, and can come with diminished control, hitters are left without much of a solution to the danger of standing in the box and wearing some of those pitches.
“Get a longer bat and stand further from the plate,” Riley joked.
Smith-Shawver looks electric
Over four innings, AJ Smith-Shawver flashed great stuff Saturday. He allowed two runs – both in the second inning – but struck out eight while walking none.
He had all of his pitches working.
“I would agree that I felt pretty good about everything tonight,” Smith-Shawver said. “I thought I located everything pretty well, and just had command of the zone. Made the pitches that I needed to make most of the time – other than that second inning, not getting out of it. But everything else I was pretty happy with.”
In that second inning, the Braves removed him before putting him back into the game for the top of the third. You can do this in spring training. It allows a pitcher to begin with a clean inning.
This season, Smith-Shawver seems a bit more confident.
“I just keep telling myself to go have fun out there, and I think whenever I’m having fun and just going out there and competing, it’s when I have my best product on the field,” he said.
This is tough when you debut at 20 years old, as Smith-Shawver did. And when you’re a top prospect. And when the organization is counting on you to take a step.
Smith-Shawver seems to be handling himself well.
“There’s definitely some pressure there, but you just gotta take every opportunity you get and just try to put the best product on the field, good or bad,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do to change it after the fact so just going out there and living with it and just accepting what it is – I think that’s the most important thing.”
Smith-Shawver has a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings in Grapefruit League games.
Where has he taken the biggest step from a year ago?
“I think just the experiences that I’ve had and just learning from those have been really big for me,” Smith-Shawver said. “And then just kind of cleaning up some things. Just cleaning up the delivery with more reps and just getting more comfortable when I get out there on the mound to throw the ball has been really big-time. Feeling pretty good about everything so far.”
Hector Neris appears for first time
An intriguing Braves nonroster invitee is right-hander Hector Neris. You might remember him as a late-inning reliever for the Phillies.
Well, he’s in Braves camp now. And on Saturday, he appeared in Grapefruit League action for the first time this spring. (Neris signed when spring had already started and had been throwing live batting practice before this.)
Neris logged a scoreless inning against the Twins. His four-seam fastball touched 92 mph, but mostly sat at 91 mph. Last season, the pitch averaged 92.9 mph, so perhaps Neris can add a couple ticks as he continues to pitch in games.
In 2023 for the Astros, he had a 1.71 ERA over 68 1/3 innings. He has a 3.33 career ERA since debuting in 2014 with the Phillies.
He has a track record and if he throws the ball well over the next week or so, you’d think he’d make the Braves’ Opening Day roster – if he’s ready.
Sale starts in Fort Myers
With the regulars in North Port to face the Twins, Chris Sale pitched down in Fort Myers against the Red Sox. This made sense, as Sale lives in Naples and pitching in Fort Myers cuts his commute home by about an hour.
Sale allowed two runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out nine and walked one.
It would be a shock if Sale weren’t the Braves’ Opening Day starter. He would be pitching on two days of extra rest if he stays on an every-five-days turn the rest of spring training.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
