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Braves' Brian Snitker Announces Austin Riley News Before Giants Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin M. Groe | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 7:05 PM ET

All-Star third baseman Austin Riley is in his seventh season with the Atlanta Braves after making his MLB debut during the 2019 campaign. He’s currently in the third year of a 10-year, $212 million contract extension inked in August 2022.

Over 812 games with Atlanta, the 28-year-old star has accumulated a .274 batting average, a .764 OPS, 14 home runs and 48 RBIs. Riley has finished in the top ten in National League Most Valuable Player voting in three different seasons and earned two Silver Slugger Awards and two All-Star selections.

He also played a key role in Atlanta’s 2021 World Series title run, posting a .277 average with 18 hits, two home runs, eight RBIs and seven runs scored across 16 postseason games.

This season, the Braves have again been hampered by injuries, and their troubles continued when Riley was placed on the 10-day injured list on July 12, 2025, with a strained right abdominal muscle. He suffered the injury on July 11 against the St. Louis Cardinals, exiting in the fourth inning.

Originally projected to return when first eligible—today, for Tuesday’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants—manager Brian Snitker announced Riley was still experiencing mild discomfort.

Snit said Riley was still dealing with a shade of discomfort today. So, they decided to wait a couple days to activate him. He’ll likely play Friday in Texas
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 22, 2025

The club has decided to wait a few more days before activating him, with a likely return slated for Friday versus the Texas Rangers.

Despite the setback, Riley has been one of the Braves’ most dependable bats in 2025. In 93 games this year, the third baseman is hitting .274 with a .764 OPS, 14 home runs and 48 RBIs.

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

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