Braves Still Seeking That Needed Turnaround From Austin Riley

Manager Walt Weiss decided on Sunday to keep third baseman Austin Riley out of the starting lineup. The Atlanta Braves ultimately called upon him in a late-game situation, but that wasn't the plan. He was meant to sit out the whole game.

It wasn't meant to be a punishment, far from it. It was a strategy to help him.

"I just feel like when an everyday player is struggling a little bit, you let him watch a game from the dugout," Weiss said. "And that's, I think, it's one of the best ways to slow the game down for a guy that's scuffling a bit."

On opening day, there was a quick impression that 2026 could be different for Riley than the previous two seasons. At the plate, Riley went 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He played his part in a Braves 6-0 win over the Royals. Since then, it's been much of the same issues.

Since opening day, Riley is 3-for-31 (.097), with three walks, two RBIs and an extra-base hit. He's gone hitless in three consecutive games twice. We can point to any particular situation or split. He just hasn't performed well in any situation since the first game of the season.

He left a runner stranded in both of his trips to the plate on Sunday. When he came in to pinch hit in the top of the eighth inning, he popped up with a runner on first base with two outs. Then, with a runner on third with two outs in the top of the 10th, he hit a soft fly ball to right field to retire the side. The very next pitch of the game saw the Braves lose on a walk-off.

There were two chances for him to be a hero with a game-tying or go-ahead run on base. He couldn't get it done. Those situations were examples of why Weiss put focus on the offense after the loss. Sure, they put up five runs, but there were missed opportunities that could have won them the game in nine innings.

Even though the full plan for Riley wasn't executed, he's confident that this season can still be different.

"I think, you know, Riley's got a - I mean, he's got a hot streak coming, and he did some good work today, and I don't worry about him."

Not too long ago, Riley was one of the top third basemen in baseball. He received a top-seven finish in MVP voting for three consecutive seasons and had back-to-back All-Star campaigns in 2022 and 2023.

Since then, he's underperformed while losing time to major injuries. One year, it's a broken hand. Another year, his abs are pulling apart. He had a strong spring training. Of course, it's easy to say in hindsight that it can be chalked up to simply being the spring. But when someone is struggling, most couldn't help but see what could potentially be coming.

It's a long season. All it should take is some type of hitting or on-base streak for confidence to build. However, when that streak will come is something that can only be guessed. For now, the two-time All-Star continues to struggle, looking for the moment where he finds solid ground to find his footing again.

The Braves signed him to the largest contract in team history after the 2022 season, ensuring he's around until 2032. He, in theory, has all the time in the world to figure it out. That being said, most are hoping most of this contract sees him playing at the bar he set before putting pen to paper.