Braves star departs game prematurely because of left side injury

Austin Riley departed tonight’s game in the fourth inning with what the Braves described as left side discomfort to reporters, including David O’Brien from The Athletic.

Riley’s departure was clearly described as “a precaution,” therefore there is no indication that he had an oblique injury.

#Braves third baseman Austin Riley left the game after the top of the fourth inning due to tightness in his left side. Team characterized it as a precautionary move. Looked like he felt it on a swing in a third-inning strikeout.

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 13, 2024

Austin Riley left tonight’s game in the fourth inning due to what the Braves described as left side tightness to reporters, including David O’Brien of The Athletic. Riley’s removal was specifically cited as “a precaution,” so there is no indication that Riley suffered an oblique-related injury.

Riley told reporters (including Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) afterward that he felt the side soreness during batting practice but didn’t alert the team because he didn’t think it was a big deal.

Despite Atlanta’s strong 24-13 record, Riley is one of a few Braves players who has yet to truly get going at the plate. Riley, who finished in the top seven in the NL MVP voting the previous three seasons, has only hit.245/.319/.388 in his first 163 plate appearances, with three home runs. The power dropoff is unusual because Riley’s advanced numbers are fairly consistent with previous seasons; nevertheless, Riley has showed some streakiness in previous years, so a breakout could be right around the corner provided he is healthy. Losing Riley for any length of time would be detrimental to Atlanta’s lineup, however the newly acquired Short could make his way into the regular lineup quickly if Riley is forced to go on the injured list.

More from the NL and AL East divisions….

• Orioles right-hander Grayson Rodriguez came out of a 30-pitch bullpen session today feeling “great,” he told MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters.  Rodriguez’s 15-day IL stint due to shoulder inflammation retroactively started on April 30, so Wednesday would be his first day eligible for activation, though it seems as though he’ll be out for at least a little beyond that date.  Rodriguez figures he’ll throw another bullpen session and then it isn’t yet certain if he’ll need a rehab start or not before returning to Baltimore’s rotation.  With a 3.71 ERA in his first 34 innings, Rodriguez is one of several Orioles pitchers performing well this season, giving the O’s a nice problem to sort out once everyone is healthy.
• Mid-back tightness sent Colin Poche to the Rays’ 15-day IL on April 24, and he had to halt his throwing program to receive “a second cortisone-type shot, a more impactful kind for which he had to undergo anesthesia,” Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  The plan is for Poche to start throwing again on Wednesday, and this setback might push his IL activation into June.  Poche was a quality workhorse out of the Rays’ bullpen in 2022-23, but he has struggled to a 6.75 ERA in 9 1/3 innings so far this season.
• Jesse Winker had to make an early exit today, as Winker’s back spasms forced the Nationals to pinch-hit for the outfielder in the sixth inning of today’s 3-2 loss to the Red Sox.  Winker told the Washington Post’s Andrew Golden (X link) and other reporters that his back was sore even prior to the game, but the issue got worse after he dove for a Rob Refsnyder line-drive single in the bottom of the fifth.  Though he has greatly cooled off since a very strong start to the season, Winker’s .235/.350/.386 slash line and four homers over 157 PA still translates to a 114 wRC+, representing a nice bounce-back from a very disappointing 2023 campaign.  It seems like Winker will miss a game or two at least, and a 10-day IL stint might be necessary if the spasms persist.