Braves third baseman fractured right hand will prevent him from participating in the playoffs, should the Atlanta Braves advance that far.
A CT scan on Monday revealed that the third baseman’s injury has not sufficiently healed.
“It just wasn’t progressing well enough to expect him to return this season,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said on Tuesday.
Riley was hit by a 97 mph fastball from Jack Kochanowicz of the Los Angeles Angels on August 18. Initially, he was expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, but there was hope that he could return if the Braves made a deep playoff run.
“He’s still in a cast, so realistically, it was always going to be tough,” Snitker added. “We would have to go deep into the postseason. His recovery hasn’t progressed to where the doctors would like it.”
As the regular season neared its end, the Braves trailed Arizona by 1.5 games for the third NL wild card spot.
In 110 games this season, Riley recorded 19 home runs, 56 RBIs, and a .256 batting average, following a 2023 campaign where he hit 37 homers and drove in 97 runs. The two-time All-Star had averaged 159 games over the previous three seasons.
Snitker confirmed that Riley is expected to be fully recovered before spring training.
Gio Urshela, a third baseman released by the Tigers on the day of Riley’s injury, was signed by the Braves and is hitting .270 with three home runs in 30 games for Atlanta.
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