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Travis d’Arnaud avoids concussion list, but Braves may need to place Austin Riley on IL

Gillberg
Travis d’Arnaud avoids concussion list, but Braves may need to place Austin Riley on IL

ATLANTA — When Travis d’Arnaud told Atlanta Braves officials he had a good night’s rest after leaving Friday’s game with dizziness and a bruised head, it was a development of the highest order. welcome for the team and its veteran receiver, one of their most essential players. given his role on the pitch and as a leader of the club.

The fact that d’Arnaud did not need to go on the seven-day concussion list was good news for the Braves given that they are still without injured catcher Sean Murphy, who was sidelined. sideline since Opening Day, and third baseman Austin Riley, who has not been injured. has played since straining his left side Sunday and may have to join him on the injured list.

Riley hasn’t been allowed to swing a bat because of lingering pain in the intercostal muscle at the bottom of his ribcage and said Saturday he wasn’t sure he was ready to play during a three-game road series against the Chicago Cubs that begins Tuesday. The team will consider putting him on a 10-day IL if it persists much longer.

The Braves got something of a reprieve when Saturday night’s game against the San Diego Padres was postponed due to rain and rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader on Monday. That meant they wouldn’t need to force d’Arnaud into emergency duty Saturday if receiver Chadwick Tromp had to leave the game, and it gave Riley another day to heal.

“We were hoping he would turn a corner here sooner, but if he doesn’t, we’ll have to make a decision,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Riley Saturday afternoon, before the postponement. match.

Sunday’s kickoff game pits the Braves’ Bryce Elder against Yu Darvish, which was the game scheduled for Saturday before the postponement. The Braves will start Reynaldo López in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader at 12:20 p.m., and Chris Sale in the 6:20 p.m. game. The Padres will start Dylan Cease and Randy Vásquez, order undetermined Saturday night.

Even though d’Arnaud passed concussion tests Friday, the Braves were going to err on the side of caution with the 35-year-old catcher, who has suffered four concussions in his career, including one 13 months ago. They were fully prepared to place him on IL for concussion. It was an obvious relief when he said he felt fine Saturday morning.

“Yeah, because we weren’t sure,” Snitker said. “I mean, he’s gone good (Friday) night, but when they wake up… that’s kind of how they spend the night.”

Before the rain postponement, Snitker said the Braves would avoid using d’Arnaud in games Saturday and Sunday unless he was needed to finish a game in an emergency. The team had determined that d’Arnaud was capable of playing in such a situation.

Even with 2023 All-Star catcher Murphy still on the IL recovering from an oblique strain – he is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday – the Braves have reportedly put 2022 All-Star Arnaud on the IL for concussion if he ‘I had persistent dizziness. That would have made a roster move necessary, and the Braves could have brought in veteran catcher Sandy León from Triple-A.

But after d’Arnaud spoke to head coach George Poulis on Saturday morning, team officials discussed and decided d’Arnaud could play this weekend if necessary.

“George called and told me he had a good night,” Snitker said. “So they felt good about him if the need arose, that he would be able to catch it.”


Austin Riley was hitting .313 in May before injuring his left side. (John Jones / USA Today)

The news wasn’t as encouraging regarding Riley, who continues to improve, but in slower increments than expected.

“For me it was strange, because it didn’t really seem that bad,” Riley said of when the injury occurred. “I’ve never had anything with my oblique or my side, so I didn’t really know how to assess it or how to feel it. I just try to lean on them as much as possible and do everything they say to try to get back on the field.

When asked if the specific pain was still present under the lower rib, Riley said, “It’s kind of become a big stretch now, that’s kind of how I describe it.” I still notice it, but it’s no longer a pain, it’s more of a firm stretch. Like I said, just listen to what they have to say and go from there.

If Riley doesn’t improve soon, Snitker said the Braves should put him on the IL rather than continuing to play shorthanded. It’s something they didn’t consider when he left Sunday’s game in New York with what they thought was a minor issue that wouldn’t keep Riley out of the lineup for more than a few days . Otherwise, they would have killed him then.

“We wait every day,” Snitker said. “I know he still feels it, some sort of shadow in there. Until he’s gone, they won’t let him swing. So, we’re going to continue talking about it.

Riley went through some pregame drills Saturday afternoon, some of the “washdown drills” he and other infielders used to do with former infield instructor Ron Washington and now with third base coach and co-infield instructor Matt Tuiasosopo. But he only did the exercises on his knees, at point blank range, and not where he was standing, moving and reaching out.

“I feel like I’m getting there slowly but surely,” Riley said. “I’m still feeling it a little bit in some areas and some moves, but I definitely feel like I’m going in the right direction. So just keep doing what I can with the training team to try to be as perfect as possible before we start.

IL stays can only be backdated by three days, so not moving at that time could cause Riley to miss more time than necessary if he goes to the IL now.

Riley felt tension in his side during a swing when he struck out during Sunday’s game against the Mets, after feeling it earlier in the day during batting practice, but not saying anything to that time. Because he was injured swinging a bat, the Braves are careful and do not allow him to swing a bat again until there is no more pain.

“Where this is happening and how it happened, I guess that will be, for me, the tell-all — the swing,” Riley said. “I’m just trying to make sure I’m fully there and ready before it gets to that point. Because you definitely don’t want to rush in and hurt him again, and the next thing you know, you’re out two months.

“So I’m just trying to make sure that we’re successful and we don’t have to go back to it again, then we can put this behind us.”

(Top photo of Travis d’Arnaud: John Adams / Icon Sportswire via Associated Press)

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