ST. LOUIS — The Braves’ season-long dance with the injured list continued on Saturday as third baseman Austin Riley was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right abdomen.
Riley was removed in the fourth inning of Friday night’s 6-5 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. He said he felt it grab while fielding a sacrifice bunt by Pedro Pagés in the second inning, but hoped it would get better. Riley said he knew something was wrong when it grabbed worse while fielding Willson Contreras’ grounder the next inning.
“It’s a weird spot,” Riley said. “I make that play all the time and never have any issues, so I don’t know really what happened. Went through my normal routine of preparing, and feel like I do a good job of making sure I’m ready — hydration, all that stuff.”
Riley, who will be eligible to return on July 22, is a two-time All-Star. He has slashed .274/.324/.441 this season with 14 homers and 48 RBIs in 93 games. He had picked it up recently, posting a .918 OPS in 10 July games.
“We just keep battling through things like that,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I mean, we’ve done it for over a year now. So, I hate it for Austin, too, because he’s swinging the bat pretty good. It’s one of those things.”
Riley, 28, is in his seventh year with the Braves. He has hit .272 with 167 home runs and 477 RBIs in 812 games.
“Obviously, we got the break coming up. I think that that’ll be huge, getting some rest there, and hopefully [I’ll] be back in no time,” Riley said.
It is the second callup to the Major Leagues for Alvarez, who had a brief eight-game stint with the Braves last season. Alvarez, who had just returned from an oblique injury on Friday for Triple-A Gwinnett, drove in from Indianapolis where the Stripers were playing after hearing the news.
“I feel good,” Alvarez said. “I mean, you can’t turn these opportunities down. This is something you dream of as a kid, and I’m just ready to embark on what’s in front of me.”