The injury bug in Major League Baseball is cruel and it is unforgiving.
The Atlanta Braves have learned that throughout the 2024 season, as star after star has gone missing in the heat of battle. Defending Most Valuable Player Ronald Acuña Jr. and preseason Cy Young favorite Spencer Strider are lost for the year, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
Atlanta has also seen All-Star pitchers Max Fried and Reynaldo López miss significant time in the second half, but they've barely held on to a playoff spot. Then, another star went down over the weekend, and on Monday, the Braves got an update that was tough to stomach.
The Braves announced on X that superstar third baseman Austin Riley, who was hit on the right hand by a 97-mile-per-hour fastball on Sunday, will be out six to eight weeks after an MRI revealed a fracture.
Braves beat reporter Mark Bowman of MLB.com reacted with despair toward the news, saying "This might finally be the crushing blow for the Braves."
Riley, 27, is not only one of the most important hitters in the Atlanta lineup, but he was heating up in the second half. After struggling out of the gates in 2024, the two-time All-Star posted an OPS of at least .840 in each of the last three months.
Already without Acuña and Ozzie Albies, who fractured his wrist in late July, the Braves' lineup was running on fumes.
If not for the unexpected brilliance of designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, who has a legitimate shot to win the National League's triple crown, the Braves might well have no one to rely on offensively. Matt Olson, their other 2023 All-Star, has been slumping since Opening Day.
It's going to take a remarkable effort to replace the consistent production Riley brought to the table. The Braves don't have many options to replace him in house, and may look to waiver wire pickups such as the recently-waived Gio Urshela.
With only two games separating the Braves from the closest Wild Card contender, they can hardly afford to mope about Riley's misfortune. They begin a crucial home series with the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
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