Atlanta Braves Drop Austin Riley in the Lineup as Struggles at the Plate Continue

For much of the last two seasons, discussions about the Atlanta Braves' offense usually came with a deeper look at Austin Riley's production. So far in 2026, those discussions have remained, but they weren't making headlines because he wasn't the only one struggling.

Ronald Acuña Jr. hasn't looked like himself, Michael Harris II was searching for consistency and injuries disrupted parts of the lineup. If Riley scuffled for a week or two, there were usually several other storylines competing for attention. But that isn't really the case anymore.

The Braves enter Saturday with the best record in baseball and a commanding 9.5-game advantage in the National League East. Acuña recently broke out of his own mini-slump with a grand slam in Boston, and Harris has posted a .367 batting average in his past seven games. Meanwhile, Riley remains stuck in place.

The Braves dropped the two-time All-Star to sixth in the batting order Friday night against Cincinnati, one day after he struck out four times in a win over the Red Sox. Riley finished Friday's game 0-for-3, though he did reach base twice via a walk and hit-by-pitch before scoring both times.

Through 58 games, Riley is hitting .213 with a .290 on-base percentage, a .660 OPS, eight home runs and 31 RBI. For most players, those numbers would be disappointing. For a player signed through 2032 on the largest contract in franchise history, they naturally attract even more attention.

Braves manager Walt Weiss has already tried several approaches, including occasional days off and another recent lineup shake-up. The latter coming last week against the Nationals in another 0-for-3 performance. Benching him isn't realistic, given both his track record and the sizable $21.2 million he's receiving annually.

"This game is about being consistent. I’d like to get there," Riley said after returning to fifth in the order against the Nationals, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. "Not have one good day and then take two steps back kind of deal."

However, there are still reasons for optimism, as Riley has historically been a slow starter. During the first two months of the 2024 season, he hit just .228 with a .648 OPS before posting an .870 OPS over his next 68 games prior to a season-ending wrist injury. Injuries also played a significant role in his 2025 output.

Atlanta has seen what Riley looks like when everything clicks. He finished top-six in National League MVP voting in consecutive seasons and established himself as one of baseball's most dangerous power hitters. Players with that resume don't suddenly lose all of their ability overnight.

Luckily for the Braves, they've had more than enough production throughout the lineup to absorb Riley's struggles in a way most contenders could not. At some point, though, the conversation shifts from whether the Braves can survive Riley's slump to how dangerous they could become if his bat heats up midseason as it has in the past.