Atlanta Braves 3B Austin Riley out for 6-8 weeks with broken hand

The injury-plagued Atlanta Braves have sustained another major blow, announcing Monday that third baseman Austin Riley will miss at least the rest of the regular season after breaking his right hand.

Riley was struck Sunday by a 97 mph fastball from Los Angeles Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz in the first inning of Atlanta’s 3-1 victory.

An MRI confirmed the fracture. Riley will miss six to eight weeks, which knocks him out through the regular season and likely into the playoffs should the Braves qualify.

Atlanta held a two-game lead over the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot heading into a three-game series against the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies that begins Tuesday.

The Braves have won six straight division titles, but that streak is in jeopardy after a rash of injuries left the team seven games behind the Phillies. A wild-card spot seems the most likely path to a seventh straight postseason appearance, with Atlanta holding a two-game lead over the New York Mets for the final spot.

Atlanta already lost NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. and pitching ace Spencer Strider to season-ending injuries. Several other key players, including second baseman Ozzie Albies, center fielder Michael Harris II and catcher Sean Murphy, have missed major time.

This is the second significant setback for Riley, who has 19 homers and 56 RBIs in 110 games. He sat for two weeks in May with a strained muscle near his rib cage.

Now, he’s dealing with a much more serious issue, leaving the Braves with a big hole in their lineup. The trade deadline has passed, and they don’t have many viable options in their organization to fill the void.

Riley hit 37 homers last season. He has 153 homers for Atlanta since his big league debut in 2019.

Luke Williams, who is just 2 of 17 on the season, took over Sunday at third base after Riley was injured, but hardly seems like a full-time option. The Braves could move Whit Merrifield, currently filling in at second base for Albies, over to third and give another shot to top prospect Nacho Alvarez.

But Alvarez was just 3 for 30 as the first choice to replace Albies, leading the Braves to return him to Triple-A Gwinnett.

The team did get some good news on the injury front, announcing that Reynaldo López has been recalled from his rehab assignment to start the series opener against the Phillies.

The right-hander, who is 7-4 with a 2.06 ERA and made the All-Star Game for the first time, last pitched July 28 against the Mets. He was lifted after three innings and went on the injured list with forearm inflammation.

The Braves optioned reliever Jimmy Herget to Triple-A to make room for López.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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