ATLANTA — The Mets were holding out hope that Francisco Lindor could still be productive late in the season, but the Braves have given up hope that one of their stars can still play.
Braves manager Brian Snitker announced that third baseman Austin Riley is done for the season because a CT scan of his broken right hand showed it had not healed sufficiently.
“I'm not where the doctors wanted me to be,” Snitker said Monday before the Tigers' 5-1 victory in a pivotal series opener against the Mets at Truist Park.
Riley has been out since Aug. 18, when Angels pitcher Jack Kochanowicz hit him in the hand with a fastball, another blow in a painful season for the Braves.
At the time, the Braves had suggested he would be out for six to eight weeks. A little over five weeks later, the Braves hadn't made enough progress to be optimistic.
Riley, an All-Star in 2022 and 2023 who had a .783 OPS in 110 games before his injury, joins Spencer Strider (elbow surgery) and Ronald Acuna Jr. (torn anterior cruciate ligament) as two Atlanta stars who will not see the field again this season.
The Braves also lost center fielder Michael Harris II and second baseman Ozzie Albies significantly, but they returned and served as the team's No. 1 and No. 2 hitters in Tuesday's game.
Former Yankee Gio Urshela replaced Riley as Atlanta's starting third baseman.
“He's still in a cast, so realistically, it's going to be pretty tough,” Snitker said of Riley.
