“Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley will miss the remainder of the season after having core injury surgery on Thursday. The Braves announced the surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia. Riley, who was placed on the 10-day injured list for the second time in two months on Aug. 4 with a strained lower abdominal muscle, is expected to return in time for spring training next year,” ESPN wrote.
Manager Brian Snitker is unlikely to be re-signed following the conclusion of the season.
“Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year—even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan,” Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote. “At 69, though, he’s already the oldest manager in the National League by a several-year margin and was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.”
Veteran catcher Sean Murphy may also not be with the Braves next season, as he is expected to be trade bait throughout the winter and into next year.
“The rest of Atlanta’s remaining pieces are either building blocks that cannot be dealt or have lost all potential trade value. With this in mind, Murphy should be tasked to bring in a fix for another position. Baldwin can be the starting catcher, with a backup brought in to help ease the workload and put Baldwin in the designated hitter role sporadically. This move is fueled not only by the emergence of Baldwin, but the need for the Braves to cut payroll while improving,” ATL All Day’s Nick Halden wrote.
Losing a veteran presence like Murphy will sting, but Baldwin’s emergence can’t be ignored. The rookie has proven he is ready to be the main man behind the plate. With the current roster, the Braves aren’t in an ideal position to make a World Series run, so moving Murphy could be just what’s needed to get things moving again.
