![Mar 1, 2025; North Port, Florida, USA; AAtlanta Braves third base Austin Riley (27) smiles against the Toronto Blue Jays ]during the fourth inning at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_5703,h_3207/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/265/01jpdp002ktbsr9bhqj9.jpg "Mar 1, 2025; North Port, Florida, USA; AAtlanta Braves third base Austin Riley (27) smiles against the Toronto Blue Jays ]during the fourth inning at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images")
The Atlanta Braves are approaching the end of Spring Training, but there are several concerns as they approach Opening Day. While the Braves got good news on Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr., the bad news came when Jurickson Profar jammed his wrist and Sean Murphy landed on the shelf with a cracked left rib.
The latest scare came when third baseman Austin Riley was hit in the hand with a Jackson Rutledge fastball during a 5-3 loss to the Washington Nationals on Friday. But the injury wasn’t as bad as initially feared, giving the Braves some much-needed good news late Friday night.
Austin Riley Has No Structural Damage After Injury Scare
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports that a CT scan revealed no structural damage on Riley’s right hand. The 27-year-old also underwent X-rays after being removed from Friday’s game, but Braves manager Brian Snitker believed that Riley should be able to resume playing within the next few days.
Riley’s diagnosis comes as a relief, considering Riley missed the final six weeks of the 2024 season with a fractured right hand. After being hit in the same area, it raised the concern of Snitker, who was also relieved to see his All-Star third baseman was alright.
“You get scared anytime somebody’s hit in a hand or anything like that,” Snitker said. “There are so many small bones in there. We saw last year what can happen. I’m glad it turned out well.”
The Braves will hope that Riley will shake off his injury scare to shake off a tough 2024 season. Riley entered the year with back-to-back All-Star appearances, hitting .277/.347/.522 with 75 home runs and 190 RBI between the 2022 and 2023 seasons. But his performance at the plate dropped off, hitting .256/.322/.461 with 19 homers and 56 RBI in 110 games before his injury in August.
Riley should also join Profar in the Opening Day lineup as the Braves head west to open the season against the San Diego Padres on March 27.