Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley has been a disappointment this year.
It is no secret that Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley is having an underwhelming season. The 29-year-old, now in year four of his massive 10-year, $212 million contract extension signed back in August of 2022, is simply not living up to expectations.
Across 80 games, Riley has posted a .215 batting average, .295 on-base percentage and .641 OPS, all of which would be career lows if the season ended today. He has just eight home runs and 36 RBIs.
The one positive about Riley's season is his availability. He has appeared in every game this year for Atlanta, a big step forward considering he missed 112 games throughout 2024 and 2025 due to multiple injury setbacks. Riley dealt with a fractured right hand in 2024. Last year, he was forced to undergo surgery for a sports hernia.
The problem is he has simply not been productive and has not looked like the player he once was. Riley addressed his struggles this past week when speaking with reporters.
"I want it more than anybody, to figure it out," Riley said (h/t Jesus Cano of The Athletic). "I want to perform for my teammates and the fans."
He continued, "It's 100 percent on me. There's been some encouragement here of late, and hopefully we can continue to build on that and finish the season strong."
Fortunately, the Braves have still been able to thrive without a productive Riley, entering Saturday with a 49-31 record. However, June has been a difficult month for Atlanta, with plenty of players getting hurt and Riley failing to step up offensively during a stretch when the team needed him most.
The hope is that Riley can turn it around after the All-Star break and revert back to his peak form. At his best, he is a two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger who has been one of the more feared right-handed hitters in the National League.
That version of Riley has not shown up this year, but his comments suggest he is fully aware of that and is putting in the work to find it again.
The Braves need him to. Atlanta has one of the best records in baseball and legitimate World Series aspirations, but a deep postseason run becomes a much more realistic proposition with a healthy, productive Riley in the middle of the lineup rather than a liability at the hot corner.
