Austin Riley (broken hand) ruled out for postseason
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ATLANTA -- Braves third baseman Austin Riley¡¯s hope to play again this year evaporated on Monday, when a CT scan showed his fractured right hand won¡¯t heal enough before the end of the postseason.
¡°It¡¯s not where the doctors wanted it to be,¡± Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Riley was projected to miss six to eight weeks when his right hand was fractured by Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz¡¯s 97 mph fastball on Aug. 18. The timeline created the possibility he could play at some point in October, but the healing process has taken longer than expected.
So, even if the Braves were to reach the playoffs, they will not welcome Riley back to their lineup this year.
¡°He¡¯s still in the cast,¡± Snitker said. ¡°Realistically, it would have been tough for him to come back this year.¡±
Riley hit .256 with 19 homers and a .783 OPS in 110 games this year. The injury ended his bid for a fourth straight 30-homer season.
Snitker said the expectation is that Riley will come to Spring Training without any restrictions.
Gio Urshela has served as the Braves¡¯ third baseman in Riley¡¯s absence, hitting .270 with three homers and a .713 OPS in 30 games for Atlanta. Urshela was released by the Tigers on the same day Riley was injured.