Austin Riley leaves series finale against Mets with ‘left side tightness’

The Atlanta Braves are defeated tonight.

Not from a score perspective, mind you – it’s tied 1-1 in the 5th inning as of this writing.

But from a physical and health point of view, Atlanta takes some hits.

Third baseman Austin Riley was scratched from tonight’s game due to what the team is calling “left side strain.” On the video replay, it appears to be from his final swing in the third inning, when he struck out an elevated fastball from New York Mets starter Luis Severino.

Riley, 28, entered tonight’s game hitting .241/.317/.386 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. Mired in a bit of a slump at the end of April, Riley perked up a bit in May, hitting .300/.382/.467 with a home run and a triple tonight, driving in four and scoring six points. .

Riley also made significant strides in his defense at third base, prompting talk that this was finally his year to beat out St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado for his first award Career Gold Glove.

The team mentioned that the release was preventative in nature; The Braves roster is currently without catcher Sean Murphy, who left the team’s season opener with an oblique injury, which is still keeping him on the shelf nearly two months later.

Riley’s potential injury isn’t the only physical blow to a Braves position player tonight. Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. was fouled by his own foot earlier in the contest. He was examined by trainers and appeared to limp slightly during a late-inning groundout, but remained in the game.