It's safe to say that the Atlanta Braves' spring training run isn't going as planned, and a lot of that has to do with their injury situation.
Key names like Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. are currently banged up, leaving their Opening Day outlook in jeopardy. The ever-increasing injury list has limited the Braves' success this spring, proven by a 2-8 record in their last 10 games ahead of Friday's showdown with the Washington Nationals.
Unfortunately, the Braves' latest exhibition outing saw yet another key contributor suffer an injury.
Braves Injury News: Austin Riley Hit By Pitch, Exits Friday's Spring Training Game
Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Justin Toscano is reporting that Austin Riley's right hand was hit by a pitch from Nationals pitcher Jackson Rutledge during the first inning, forcing the Braves star to leave the game early. The Braves took to social media shortly after Riley's exit to reveal that his removal was a "precaution."
Austin Riley is exiting this game after being hit in the hand. No reason for the Braves to take any chances, but Riley was in some clear pain after getting hit. We'll learn the severity later.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) March 14, 2025
Nick Allen at third.
Even though Rutledge plays for an NL East rival, it doesn't look like the Nationals hurler was trying to hit Riley. Having said that, the last thing the Braves needed was to lose another one of their top players for an extended amount of time because of a spring training incident.
Riley's situation is even more concerning, given his injury history. Injuries limited the two-time All-Star third baseman to 110 appearances during the 2024 campaign, which includes missing half of August and all of September after Los Angeles Angels RHP Jack Kochanowicz fractured his right hand with a pitch on Aug. 18.
Hopefully, Riley's issue isn't as severe and that he can heal up in time for Opening Day. Even though his performance was down last year, the two-time Silver Slugger was still one of the Braves' most important players, racking up 19 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 37 walks while slashing .256/.322/.461.
Time will tell how a potentially lengthy Riley injury could impact Atlanta's championship outlook. For now, the Braves will continue spring training tied with the New York Yankees for the second-best 2025 World Series odds (+900) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
As for Friday's spring training showdown, the Braves and Nationals are still tied 0-0 in the bottom of the third inning at the time of writing.
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