The Braves announced Monday that has been diagnosed with a fractured right hand that will sideline him for six to eight weeks. With just under six weeks remaining on the regular season schedule, it could very well prove to be a season-ending injury for the two-time All-Star. Riley was hit by a pitch in yesterdays game, and while initial imaging was inconclusive, an MRI performed Monday revealed the fracture. Atlanta will presumably make a corresponding roster move to place Riley on the injured list and bring up another infielder (e.g. ). Atlanta also announced that right-hander has been reinstated from the injured list, with right-hander being optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett in his place. Hes been out since Aug. 2 due to inflammation in his right forearm. The lo s of Riley is another crushing blow for a Braves club that has been hammered by major injuries all season. Even on Opening Day, Atlanta lost catcher to an oblique strain that ultimately cost him about two months of the season. That set the tone for a 2024 campaign that has seen (torn UCL and internal brace surgery), (torn ACL), (fractured wrist), (hip surgery) and Terrence Ross Jersey (Grade 2 hamstring strain) all endure considerable, if not season-ending injuries. Riley, 27, hasnt been at his best all season but has, until now, been in the lineup nearly every day. Hes also picked up the pace considerably since a dreadful start to the season. Riley lugged an awful .228/.295/.353 slash into the month of June and has since erupted with a .275/.339/.531 that falls right in line with his career averages. In a lineup thats frequently been without some of its best hitters, hes been a constant alongside designated hitter . Now, its very po sible that Rileys 2024 season will draw to a close with 110 games played although the specific wording of the teams announcement leaves the door cracked for Riley to perhaps play a few games late in September if he heals more quickly than expected and the Braves are still in Wild Card contention. In some ways, the fact that the Braves are even still in po se sion of a Wild Card spot is remarkable. Strider pitched in just two games and yielded seven runs in nine innings prior to landing on the shelf with what became a season-ending ligament injury. Acuna played in only 49 games. Acuna, Albies (90), Harris (72) and Murphy (50) have all played in fewer than 100 of the Braves 124 games this season. While the Braves have had exceedingly poor injury luck, theyve also had several things go right. Atlanta has improbably gotten not only a healthy season out of but a vintage, Cy Young-caliber showing out of the 35-year-old lefty, whos thrown just 10 fewer innings this season than he did in the entire four-year period preceding the 2024 season. Right-hander has debuted and outpaced expectations. has improbably gone from reliever to Cy Young-caliber results himself. Still, the lo s of Riley is a gut-punch, particularly given how well hed been hitting since the calendar flipped to June. The top of the Braves order will now need to rely on the aforementioned Ozuna, deadline pickup and a trio of stars whove struggled through down seasons: Harris, Murphy and . Atlanta has gotten solid production out of some bargain-bin pickups like and , but the offense theyre trotting out on a nightly basis moving forward wont resemble the powerhouse lineup they were expected to field this season. Riley will likely be replaced by some combination of Alvarez and , neither of whom has looked comfortable against big league pitching this season. Alvarez, the organizations top position-player prospect, still has just 38 games of Triple-A experience. Hes hit well there, but the 21-year-old went 3-for-30 in his first taste of the majors earlier in the summer and likely still needs some additional development time. Hed never played above A-ball prior to 2024. Williams is 2-for-17 in the majors this season. The 28-year-old journeyman has seen action in parts of four big league campaigns and is a .218/.277/.284 hitter in 283 trips to the plate. At seven games back and now down another star player, Atlanta doesnt have much of a path to overtaking the Phillies for the NL East crown. The Braves currently hold the final NL Wild Card spot but are only two games up on the division-rival Mets and four games up on the Giants. The Cardinals, Cubs and Reds are all within six games of that final postseason slot as well. D.J. Augustin Jersey