Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley turned a lot of heads with his 444-foot home-run bomb in the team's 8-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Atlanta has had a very slow start to the season so far and currently sits at 5-11 and in last place in the National League East. On Monday night, however, this team showed what it was capable of, specifically Riley.

The two-time All-Star went deep twice against the Blue Jays with five RBIs. Riley's three-run bomb at the top of the fifth sealed the deal for the Braves as they looked to move up the standings again slowly.

Atlanta is starting to find its footing after beginning 2025 with seven straight losses. The franchise has made the postseason seven years in a row with several deep runs. Of course, the headline moment for the Braves this century was in 2022, when they won their fourth World Series title.

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Despite some losses this offseason, this current roster still has a lot of upside and players who should eventually find their form. One of those key contributors is reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale. The 36-year-old is off to a rough start in 2025 but usually works his way into a season when he stays healthy. Sale deserves the benefit of the doubt after he showed no signs of slowing down last year.

In addition to Sale, players like Riley and Marcell Ozuna are still in their respective primes. Ozuna, who is 34, is likely at the back end of his peak, while Riley, who is 28, likely has his best years ahead of him for the Braves. The Memphis, Tennessee native is coming off an injury-ridden 2024, but it looks like he is due to resume the form he had a few seasons ago.

Overall, the Braves will need their starting third basemen to be a more consistent presence at the plate going forward. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets have legitimate World Series aspirations and are already looking like the first and second-place teams in the division. The Braves need to play the catch-up game immediately, and Monday night was a good start toward that march back to the top.