One of the biggest MLB All-Star Game snubs was Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley. Riley, who had posted a career-high .907 OPS entering play Wednesday, has legitimately been one of the best hitters on the Braves. It was pretty egregious that he was left off the roster. However, the snub somehow got worse after what Riley did on Wednesday.
The Braves star homered in the eighth inning of Wednesday's loss to the New York Mets, his 25th of the year. With that long ball, Riley joined Hank Aaron and Chipper Jones in Braves' lore, as pointed out by Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Austin Riley now joins Hank Aaron (three times), Eddie Mathews (twice), Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Dale Murphy, Andres Galarraga and Darrell Evans as the only Braves to hit 25 homers or more before the All-Star break.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 13, 2022
Per Bowman, Austin Riley joined Hank Aaron and Chipper Jones, among other Braves, to club 25 or more homers before the MLB All-Star break. It's a pretty wild feat to accomplish, especially for someone who won't be representing the National League in Los Angeles.
Riley understandably didn't beat out the likes of San Diego Padres' third baseman Manny Machado or St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado.
But the fact that the Braves star wasn't chosen as an injury replacement was like an extra smack in the face to he and the fans. One can bet that Riley will be in consideration if the National League needs to call upon another player for a replacement.
Of course, Riley is likely more focused on the team aspect of things, where the Braves are doing pretty darn well, too. A red-hot June and July has vaulted them into consideration for the NL East crown.
As disappointing as Austin Riley's All-Star snub is, all the winning the Braves have been doing certainly makes up for it.
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