Austin

Riley

Riley is 8-for-20 with three homers this spring. He should be moving up draft boards a little, not necessarily because of his Grapefruit numbers but because he’s likely to move up to the cleanup spot in Atlanta’s lineup with Jurickson Profar out of the mix.

Riley’s 428-foot homer left the bat at 106 mph, and he also had a 107-mph lineout to left. Not typically a big spring performer, Riley has already matched his 2025 total of two Grapefruit League homers. His high is four from 2020.

Riley should be 100 percent after core muscle surgery at the end of August, and he might be undervalued after a second straight disappointing season. He did strike out more often than usual last year, but his exit velocity numbers were just as good as when he hit 38 homers in 2022 and 37 in 2023.

Riley is out of the season after core muscle surgery, but he’s expected to be ready to go next spring. He hit .260/.309/.428 with 16 homers in 447 plate appearances this season.

This outcome became a strong possibility earlier this week when the 28-year-old slugger visited a renowned core muscle specialist to get another opinion on the abdominal issue that has been bothering him since early July. He’ll finish the 2025 season slashing .260/.309/.428 with just 16 homers and 54 RBI in 447 plate appearances. The expectation is that he’ll be ready to go in time for spring training.

Riley is scheduled to be evaluated by Dr. William Meyers, a renowned core muscle specialist, to determine the severity of the lower abdominal issue that he’s been dealing with since early July. It’s possible he’ll wind up requiring surgery. There is no timetable for his return.

Not good. Riley experienced renewed abdominal discomfort while running the bases on Tuesday and will be re-evaluated later this week to determine his next steps. It certainly qualifies as a setback and likely pushes his potential return back into September, even in a best-case scenario.

Riley is scheduled to run the bases for the second consecutive day on Monday, but remains without a definitive return timetable. Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters he experienced some abdominal discomfort over the weekend while running the bases. The 28-year-old third baseman hit the shelf back in early August with an abdominal strain.

Riley is eligible to come off the injured list on Thursday, but it sounds like he’ll be out for at least another week. Nacho Alvarez Jr. has been filling in at third base.

Riley was on the IL with a lower abdominal injury a few weeks ago too, so this is not an ideal situation. With Atlanta no longer a real playoff contender for this year, expect them to be cautious with their star third baseman and not rush his return. Luke Williams and Nacho Alvarez Jr. figure to see the majority of starts at third base in the meantime.