Can Riley recapture his form and reclaim his spot as a Braves star in 2026?
Austin Riley enters 2026 looking to get back to his old self after two straight years that were cut short by injuries, and there are plenty of reasons to believe the Atlanta Braves third baseman can do just that.
Two Rough Seasons in the Books
The last two years have not gone the way Riley or the Braves wanted. In 2024, Riley was hit by a pitch in mid-August that fractured his right hand and ended his season early.
He finished that year with a .256 batting average, 19 home runs, and 56 RBI in just 110 games.
Then in 2025, things got even worse when multiple abdominal injuries forced him to undergo core surgery in August, which shut him down for good.
Riley wrapped up last season hitting .260 with 16 home runs and 54 RBI in 102 games for a Braves team that went 76-86 and finished fourth in the NL East.
Between those two seasons, Riley missed a total of 112 games, which is a lot of time away from the field for someone who played at least 159 games in each of the three years before that.
Why 2026 Could Be Different
Despite the rough stretch, there is good reason to think Riley can bounce back and look like his old self again.
From 2021 to 2023, he was one of the best hitters in baseball and put up a combined 16.1 fWAR while slashing .286/.354/.525 with a 136 wRC+.
He earned two All-Star selections and two Silver Slugger Awards during that stretch while finishing in the top seven of NL MVP voting all three years.
What makes Riley's case even more interesting is that his underlying numbers stayed strong even during his down years.
In 2024, his expected weighted on-base average was .361, which was right in line with his elite seasons in 2021 and 2023.
His barrel rate and hard-hit percentage both ranked in the 94th percentile or above, showing that he was still making quality contact when healthy.
Health Is the Key
The biggest thing for Riley heading into 2026 is simply staying on the field.
The Braves announced that he is expected to be ready for spring training with no restrictions after recovering from his core surgery.
At 28 years old, Riley should be entering the prime of his career, and he still has seven years left on his $212 million contract that runs through 2032.
Atlanta needs Riley to get back to being the middle-of-the-order force he was not too long ago.
If he can stay healthy and get a full season under his belt, there is no reason he cannot put up 30-plus home runs and 90-plus RBI like he did from 2021 to 2023. The tools are still there, and the track record speaks for itself.