ATLANTA — The injury-plagued Atlanta Braves have sustained another major blow, announcing Monday that third baseman Austin Riley will miss at least the rest of the regular season after breaking his right hand.
Riley was struck Sunday by a 97 mph fastball from Los Angeles Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz in the first inning of Atlanta's 3-1 victory.
An MRI confirmed the fracture. Riley will miss six to eight weeks, which knocks him out through the regular season and likely into the playoffs should the Braves qualify.
Atlanta held a 1 1/2-game lead over the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot heading into a three-game series against the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies that begins Tuesday.
The Braves have won six straight division titles, but that streak is in jeopardy after a rash of injuries left the team seven games behind the Phillies. A wild-card berth seems the most likely path to a seventh straight postseason appearance, with Atlanta holding the last of three spots behind San Diego and Arizona.
Atlanta already lost NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and pitching ace Spencer Strider to season-ending injuries. Several other key players, including second baseman Ozzie Albies, center fielder Michael Harris II, catcher Sean Murphy and reliever A.J. Minter have missed major time.
This is the second significant setback for Riley, who has 19 homers and 56 RBIs in 110 games. He sat for two weeks in May with a strained muscle near his rib cage.
Now, he's dealing with a much more serious issue, leaving the Braves with a big hole in their lineup. The trade deadline has passed, and they don't have many viable options in their organization to fill the void.
