Austin Riley is a World Series champion, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner and two-time All-Star who has finished in the top 10 for National League MVP voting in three different seasons. Despite all of those accolades, it feels like the best might still be to come. He is knocking on the door of true superstardom, but in order to gain entry into that exclusive club, he needs to stay healthy.

Riley and the Braves fan base experienced a terrifying case of deja vu on Friday afternoon, as the 27-year-old third baseman got hit in the hand with a pitch in his first at-bat of a spring training meeting with the Washington Nationals. Riley took his base and initially remained in the game, but he eventually exited. Further evaluation of his right hand, the same one he fractured last August, revealed some positive news, however.

Tests concluded there is no fracture, hence Riley is considered day-to-day, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Given that the 2015 first-round draft pick missed 52 regular season games and the playoffs last year, anxiety levels were bound to be high in Atlanta. Fans know how important this player is to the franchise’s October ambitions. Well, they can take a deep breath for now.

All-Star catcher Sean Murphy suffered a cracked rib in spring training and will begin the year on the injured list, but the club is probably feeling fairly optimistic overall with less than two weeks to go until Opening Day. Though, after all that this group endured in 2024, it will be extremely difficult to crush its spirits.

What could go wrong, did go wrong for the 2024 Braves

Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider both suffered season-ending injuries early in the campaign and Riley, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II and Murphy all missed at least 50 games themselves. Through it all, Atlanta channeled its inner Gloria Gaynor and found a way to survive, long enough to snatch the final NL Wild Card slot from the Arizona Diamondbacks’ grasp. Now, the Braves wish to thrive again.

They ceded control of the NL East to the Philadelphia Phillies last season, failing to win a divisional title for the first time since 2017. Assuming Acuna and Strider can come back before the end of May, and the rest of the core players can stay relatively healthy, Atlanta should have another opportunity to contend for a championship.

Still, it is important to give special acknowledgement to Austin Riley. Before posting a modest .256 batting average and .783 OPS, Riley was a pillar of consistency. If he can recapture that form, or better yet, expand on it, then Braves baseball will once again instill intimidation in the Senior Circuit. Hopefully, Riley will be back in the batter’s box in no time.