Braves 3B Austin Riley out 6-8 weeks with hand fracture

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley was diagnosed Monday with a fractured right hand and will miss the next 6-8 weeks, potentially ending his season.

Riley left Sunday’s road game against the Los Angeles Angels when he was hit in the hand by a pitch from right-hander Jack Kochanowicz.

After initial medical examinations were inconclusive, Riley underwent an MRI on Monday after the team returned to Atlanta.

The Braves are set to open a key three-game series against the first-place Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez will start for Atlanta in the series opener after he was reinstated from the injured list Monday following a bout with forearm inflammation. Right-hander Jimmy Herget was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Braves are seven games behind the Phillies in the National League East and in possession of the final wild-card spot in the NL, two games up on the New York Mets.

Riley, 27, is batting .256 with 19 home runs and 56 RBIs in 110 games this season as he has rebounded from a slow start when he had three home runs and 20 RBIs in his first 53 games.

In six seasons with the Braves, Riley has batted .272 with 153 home runs and 429 RBIs in 719 games. He is a two-time All-Star (2022, 2023) and finished in the top seven of National League MVP voting in each of the previous three seasons.

Atlanta has struggled with injuries all season. Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) and right-hander Spencer Strider (elbow) are out for the year. The Braves are without second baseman Ozzie Albies (wrist) until September and are also missing setup man A.J. Minter (hip).

Lopez, 30, is 7-4 with a 2.06 ERA in 19 starts this season. Herget, 30, was 0-1 with a 4.38 ERA in eight relief appearances.

–Field Level Media