Austin

Riley

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.

Riley appeared to be a bit shaken up after tagging out Reds speedster Elly De La Cruz at home plate on an extremely awkward-looking rundown during the opening frame of Sunday’s game at Bristol Motor Speedway. The concern here for Atlanta, and fantasy managers, is that the 28-year-old slugger missed a couple weeks back in July with an abdominal strain. There should be another update on his status following the contest.

This just hasn’t been Riley’s year, though he did homer in back-to-back games against the Royals earlier this week. He’s struck 127 times in 101 games this season, compared to 118 in 110 games last year. His 28.5% strikeout rate is the ninth highest among the 156 batting-title qualifiers. Riley fanned 36.4% of the time in his 80-game rookie season in 2019, but he was at 24.6% in the five seasons coming into this one.

Riley went 0-for-11 in his first three games back from an abdominal strain, but he punished the ball tonight. His double was a 113.9 mph liner that went 395 feet and would have been a homer in 11 parks. It’s his third four-RBI game of the year, and he now has 15 homers in 97 games.