The Atlanta Braves have struggled with consistency throughout the 2025 campaign, highlighted by their being 11 games under .500 as of Saturday morning. In other words, next week's MLB All-Star break couldn't have come at a better time, and hopefully, the Braves use the opportunity to regroup so that they can be at their best down the stretch.
Their current series with the St. Louis Cardinals is all the Braves needed to get through before their much-needed break. Unfortunately, the latest showdown against St. Louis dealt Atlanta some concerning news that fans won't want to hear.
Braves 3B Austin Riley Exits with Abdominal Injury vs. Cardinals on Friday
Alarm bells were sounded on Friday night when Braves third baseman Austin Riley left the 6-5 win over the Cardinals with an abdominal-related injury. The 28-year-old infielder left during the fourth inning after going 1-of-2 with an RBI earlier that night, and more testing will be needed to reveal the severity of his situation.
3B Austin Riley was removed from tonight’s game due to lower abdominal tightness.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 12, 2025
UPDATE (11:34 a.m. ET): The Braves placed Riley on the 10-day injured list after this story was posted. Infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. and recently acquired reliever Joey Wentz have been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, while veteran pitcher Nathan Wiles was sent to the minors
#Braves placed Austin Riley on 10-day IL with a strained right abdomen. LHP Joey Wentz and INF Nacho Alvarez Jr. joined the MLB team, and RHP Nathan Wiles was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 12, 2025
Regardless of how many games he will miss, the last thing the Braves needed was an injury to one of their most important players. Hopefully, Riley will recover quickly to help Atlanta with its uphill battle towards a potential postseason berth.
Including Friday's outing, Riley's 2025 performance has been one of the Braves' few bright spots this year. He's tallied 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 25 walks, and a 1.6 WAR in his first 93 games (379 at-bats), all while batting much better (.274) than he did in 2024 (.256). Although far from his best showing, he's at least given Atlanta fans something to occasionally be excited about.
Luke Williams filled in for Riley at the hot corner following the latter's exit on Friday, so chances are he'll be the top 3B fill-in choice. He's played 215 1/3 innings at third base throughout his five-year MLB career, which includes 45 innings with the Braves between the last two seasons.
Having said that, Williams' bat must be better than it has been if he wants to capitalize on his opportunity. He's slashing .111/.158/.167 with two RBIs and three stolen bases in 22 games, and has often been the source of frustration for many Atlanta fans throughout the campaign.
The one silver lining about Riley's injury is that it happened right before the All-Star festivities. Perhaps having a few days off will be all he needs to heal up, so that he can help the Braves with their improbable playoff push.