On Sunday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves picked up a much-needed win against the Cincinnati Reds at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee after the game was initially pushed back from Saturday due to weather. While it was a solid game from Atlanta, they did get some tough news in the form of an injury sustained by third baseman Austin Riley.
Recently, David O'Brien of The Athletic broke down the next steps the Braves are taking in the wake of the ailment.
“#Braves put Austin Riley back on the 10-day IL with a lower abdominal strain and recalled INF Nacho Alvarez Jr. from Triple-A Gwinnett,” reported O'Brien on X, formerly Twitter.
O'Brien also noted that “the team recalled INF Jonathan Ornelas and optioned OF Jarred Kelenic to Gwinnett.”
It's been a tough season for Austin Riley in 2025, as he is one of the many Braves players who have shown regression from previous years amid what has overall been a disastrous campaign for Atlanta.
The Braves entered this season with legitimate World Series contention hopes after not having won a playoff series since their championship win in 2021.
However, a combination of significant regression from several important players along with some key injuries, particularly along the pitching staff, have kept the Braves well short of those lofty aspirations.
Many expected the Braves to be sellers at the recent MLB trade deadline due to their record, but the team surprised fans by mostly remaining stagnant and holding onto the core that got them to their current record of 47-63.
Still, major changes could be coming this offseason, with longtime manager Brian Snitker expected to retire and potentially more transactions on the way.
In any case, the Braves will next take the field on Monday evening for the first game of a home series against the Milwaukee Brewers.