One day after Austin Riley was hit on the hand with a pitch in the Atlanta Braves' 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels, the team has announced he will miss six to eight weeks with a hand fracture.

Intercostal inflammation caused Riley to miss time earlier this year, and now this latest ailment likely ended the two-time All-Star third baseman's season. The HBP occurred in the first inning Sunday when a 97 mph sinker from Jack Kochanowicz bounced off Riley's right hand. Initial imaging was inconclusive, but an MRI on Monday revealed the fracture.

The Braves will presumably place Riley on the Injured List, though the team has yet to announce a corresponding move. Atlanta did, however, announce that it has returned Reynaldo Lopez from his rehab stint and reinstated him to the active roster. Lopez missed three weeks with right elbow inflammation. Pitcher Jimmy Herget will go down to Triple-A Gwinnett to make room for him.

With 38 games remaining in the regular season, the Braves are clinging to a two-game lead for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

Austin Riley injury is another blow to Braves' lineup

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) hits a two-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning at Truist Park.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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Though Riley hasn't quite matched the production he showed the last two years when he hit 75 total home runs with an .869 OPS, his loss is nevertheless another tough one for the Braves to endure. The team has a laundry list of significant injuries that have reshaped the roster over the past several months.

It started on Opening Day when Sean Murphy suffered an oblique strain that kept him out until late May. Spencer Strider soon followed, making only two starts before a torn UCL ended his season. The day before Murphy returned, Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a season-ending ACL tear. Just days after that, AJ Minter suffered a hip injury and missed over a month, then went back on the IL August 14. Ozzie Albies is recovering from a broken wrist and last played in July.

Riley now joins the Braves' list of injuries, likely finishing his regular season with a .256 batting average, 19 home runs and a .783 OPS.