Bad News for Austin Riley, Braves Call Up Infielder Prospect, Option SP

The Atlanta Braves lose their star third baseman, but have an answer to that loss; their starting pitching options for the weekend head back into question

The Braves now have to deal with another injury | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves announced Saturday morning that they placed third baseman Austin Riley on the 10-day injured list with a strained right abdomen. In other moves, they have called up infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. and optioned Nathan Wiles to Triple-A.

Left-hander Joey Wentz has also reported to the big league club.

The #Braves today reported LHP Joey Wentz to Atlanta. The club also recalled INF Nacho Alvarez Jr. to Atlanta, placed INF Austin Riley on the 10-day injured list with a strained right abdomen, and optioned RHP Nathan Wiles to Triple-A Gwinnett following yesterday’s game.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 12, 2025

Riley was removed from Friday night's series opener in St. Louis with what at the time was labeled as lower abdominal tightness. Luke Williams pinch hit for him in the top of the fourth inning. Riley went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored before exiting.

His RBI single opened scoring and helped ingnite a three-run rally in the top of the first inning.

Riley is batting .274 with a .764 OPS, 14 home runs and 48 RBIs in 93 games this season. He's on the 10-day injured list, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he missed for longer than that. On the milder end, an abdominal strain can take two to four weeks to heal.

Wiles' demotion is a head-scratcher. He appeared to have been called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Didier Fuentes' spot in the rotation. He was called up on July 9, got his few days of MLB service time and was sent back down.

As of this article's publication, there are still no probable starters listed for the Braves for Saturday and Sunday. The status of the starter set to go toe to toe with Erik Fedde at 2:15 p.m. EDT remains in flux.

Brian Snitker wasn't keen on going with another bullpen day. It can't be ruled out until an actual starting pitcher is penciled in for one of these games. Since they're about to head into the All-Star Break and have a few days off, they might feel an incentive to give it a go.

The Braves used five relievers Friday night after Grant Holmes had a rare short night. He made it through three innings and allowed five earned runs.

Wentz provides a long relief or opener option. He has pitched as much as 3 2/3 innings in a game this season. He hasn't started a game since 2023, so he will likely follow an opener if he appears in a game this weekend. It would be his debut with the Braves, who drafted him in 2016.

The Braves claimed him off waivers on Friday.

Alvarez has had a strong return to live action this season. In 11 Triple-A games, the Braves' No. 3 prospect is batting .361 with a 1.059 OPS with one home run, four extra-base hits and five RBIs. This could make for a nice audition to stick around if he provides a boost to the lineup.