Braves 3B Austin Riley Heads to IL With Abdominal Strain For 2nd Time in 2025

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley was placed on the 10-day injured list for the second time in two months with a strained lower abdominal muscle on Monday.

Riley suffered the injury while tagging out Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz near home plate in the Braves’ 4-2 win on Sunday in the rain-delayed MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Riley also landed on the IL on July 12 with a strained abdomen. He returned on July 25.

The Braves recalled infielders Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Jonathan Ornelas from Triple-A Gwinnett before opening a home series against Milwaukee on Monday night. The team optioned outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Gwinnett following Sunday’s game.

Riley is hitting .260/309/.428 with 16 home runs. He joins another position player, Ronald Acuña Jr., on the IL, as Acuña was placed there on July 30 with a Grade 1 right calf strain and will miss at least a couple of weeks recovering. Atlanta also put starter Grant Holmes on the 60-day IL with elbow rightness in his throwing arm on July 27, and Chris Sale isn’t eligible to return until late-August thanks to a left rib fracture.

Injuries have ravaged the Braves’ roster with injuries like these since Opening Day, when the season began without the likes of Acuña and Spencer Strider. They sit at 47-63 through 110 games, in fourth place in the NL East and 14 games back of a wild card.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!