Braves place Austin Riley on IL as injury nightmares continue

The Braves’ nightmare season is only getting worse. 

Atlanta placed star third baseman Austin Riley on the 10-day injured list with a strained right abdomen, adding to the long list of Braves players sidelined with various ailments. 

Riley started Friday’s game against the Cardinals but was pulled during the fourth inning in what was deemed a precautionary move after the game by Braves manager Brian Snitker, but the injury is apparently a bit more serious than that. 

He joins a nearly entire starting rotation’s worth of Braves pitchers on the injured list, which includes Spencer Schwellenbach (fractured right elbow), Chris Sale (fractured rib cage), AJ Smith-Shawver (torn right UCL), and Reynaldo López (right shoulder inflammation). 

The latest wave of injuries in Atlanta comes after they opened the season with ace Spencer Strider and superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. on the shelf, although both players are healthy now. 

The loss of Riley adds to what’s been a miserable season for the Braves.

Heading into Saturday’s play, Atlanta is sitting at 41-52, 10 games back of a National League wild card spot and 12.5 games back of the Phillies in the NL East. 

The Braves, who have made the playoffs in seven straight seasons, came into the year with World Series aspirations. 

Before hurting his abdomen, Riley had been hitting .274/.324/.441 with 14 home runs in 408 plate appearances in 2025.

Despite their poor record, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said last month that the franchise was “not selling” at the trade deadline, but he left the door open if the team kept falling in the standings.

“A month from now, we end up 30 games under or something crazy, I guess I would reconsider,” Anthopoulos said.