How Austin Riley Has Played Since Braves Gave Him Day Off

Thursday night's bout between the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins marked a week since manager Walt Weiss made the move to give Austin Riley the night off.

The goal was to provide the third baseman a chance to have a breather but also provide him another perspective. He could just spectate. Things could slow down for him.

"I've said this before, when guys were struggling, sometimes the best way to slow the game down is to have them watch it from the bench," Weiss said last Thursday, the day he left Riley out of the lineup. "And they realize maybe it's not as difficult as they're making it."

So, Riley took the first game of the series against the Nationals off. He didn't see any action, not even as a pinch hitter. After that, he's been back in every day to solid results.

In 22 plate appearances since that night off, he's 8-for-20 (.400), with a home run, four total extra-base hits, six RBIs and a sac fly. The last stat came in his most recent game on Thursday, helping the Braves pile on to beat the Marlins 11-3 and win their eighth in a row.

So far, the difference has been more noticeable in how he's approaching his at-bats.

"I just feel like he's getting his swing off," Weiss said on Thursday night. "He's getting A swing off a lot more often, and I do think, that's why I talk about giving guys a day here and there. I think if you pick the right spot, it can be helpful. It's a nice little reset to get away from the game and not having the pressure to perform if you're, you know, struggling."

His current .657 OPS is down a bit from the .663 it was the night before. However, either number is still among the highest its been since late May. He still needs to prove that he can sustain some success, but the Braves may have found a strategy to helping Riley find consistency.

He stays in the lineup while he's on a tear, and once he starts to take a dip or looks a little off-balanced, they give him the night off to reset and keep going.

Riley has been pushing all season to get back on track. He's dicussed before how it's easier said than done to bring the work from the cages to a real at-bat.

"You can do the right moves in the cage and everything looks right and you get out there and face 100 and it's tough to repeat those movements without thinking about them," Riley said last month.

When you see him taking batting practice before games, you can see the work. He's very balanced; he's bringing his hands through the ball exactly how you'd want him to. Riley's been working to build up muscle memory, so he can, but his full focus into the at-bat without thinking about too many things.

Right now, you're seeing that carry over. The goal is to keep having it carry over.

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