Report: Austin Riley’s return to the Braves looms

Riley’s 2025 campaign hasn’t been as bad as the respective seasons of Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II; he’s at least been above average in comparison to the rest of the league. However, Riley is still playing below his own standards.

From 2021 to 2023, which prompted the Braves to make him the highest player in franchise history, Austin Riley averaged an OPS+ that was anywhere from 30% to 40% above league average, finishing in the top 7 of the MVP voting every single year.

In 2024, that figure dropped to just 15% above league average, and this year it is even lower. Simply put, he hasn’t been good enough. Hopefully, in his return, Riley will finish the season on a hot streak because the club will be expecting him to rebound in a big way in 2026.

In his place, Nacho Alvarez has manned the hot corner and has held his own defensively while leaving a little to be desired offensively. It’s a tiny sample size, so it’s not like any definitive conclusions can be drawn, but Alvarez is slashing .222/.300/.278 with one extra-base hit across 20 plate appearances.

With Ozzie Albies struggling mightily, it’s probably a good idea to see what the club has in Alvarez, but it seems that’ll be short-lived with Austin Riley returning sometime this week.