Braves Announce Austin Riley Request After 150 Games

Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Braves Announce Austin Riley Request After 150 Games

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Sep 14, 2026 2:59 PM ET

Austin Riley is having a difficult season this year for the Atlanta Braves. Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Riley declined at the plate while also struggling to stay healthy, barely playing over 100 games in each season, so the Braves were hoping availability was the primary reason his bat was slumping.

This year he has stayed fully healthy, missing just two games out of 150 the Braves have played. Unfortunately he has taken another step backward offensively.

Across 148 games, the 29-year-old has posted a .222 batting average, .295 on-base percentage, .662 OPS, 17 home runs and 68 RBIs. For a player who once hit near the top of the order, he has slipped all the way to the bottom of the lineup for manager Walt Weiss.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) Mady Mertens-Imagn Images

Despite Riley’s struggles, the Braves are still in a good spot and on the verge of clinching the National League East division title. They enter Monday’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs owning an 88-62 record and a five-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ahead of first pitch Monday, the Braves revealed that Riley had been selected as the team’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, the first time in his career he has received the nomination.

The team requested that fans click the provided link and vote for Riley to win the award over the other 29 nominees. “Vote for Austin!” the Braves wrote.

Vote for Austin! https://t.co/mAr2eMeSqy
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 14, 2026

At the center of Riley’s community efforts is his support of military service members and veterans.

Through Operation Home Team, his signature initiative in partnership with the Atlanta Braves Foundation, military veterans are honored during Wednesday home games throughout the season, receiving tickets, complimentary parking, field access during batting practice, meet-and-greet opportunities with Riley and Braves gift bags.

Beyond the ballpark, Riley and his wife Anna have hosted military appreciation events at Dobbins Air Reserve Base and raised significant funding for The Warrior Alliance through his annual charity golf tournament.

Whatever happens on the field for Riley over the final two weeks of the season, his impact off it has clearly made a lasting impression on the organization and the community around it.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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