Austin Riley’s focus has shifted to being ready for action in 2026. The Atlanta Braves’ third baseman’s season came to an early end again after suffering an abdominal injury that required surgery.
With Riley likely having normal workouts over the offseason, manager Brian Snitker thinks next year could see him return to his usual heights and, perhaps, reach a new one.
“I expect him to come into camp and have an All-Star, Gold Glove year next year,” Snitker said.
The two-time All-Star hasn’t won a Gold Glove in his career, but he was a finalist back in 2023.
After falling short, the push for the award became a personal goal. The effort has been there. Ironically, that effort in the field contributed to his current injury. However, it shouldn’t be an issue again post-surgery.
The All-Star expectation also would mean seeing him rekindle his offensive consistency. He had his highs and lows during the season, but ended up finishing with a .260 batting average, 16 home runs and 54 RBIs in 102 games.
A healthy Riley was on pace for 25 home runs and 85 RBIs, both of which are respectable numbers. However, they fall short of what he and those who have been watching him the past few years have come to expect.
Snitker thinks a healthier offseason will help with that.
“I know last year, in the offseason, that wrist thing didn’t heal as quick as I think they thought it would and wanted it to,” he said. “So, when we came to Spring Training, he was full go. Just what they lack in the offseason preparation and everything can be huge sometimes.”
Even after you fully heal and start to work out, it can take much longer for a ballplayer to really get back into the normal, shall we say, swing of things. Another example to look at is Ozzie Albies.
He suffered a wrist injury in the second half of last season, and it’s taken until recently to look like his All-Star self again at the plate. Since the middle of August, he’s been able to put together a more consistent stretch of production at the plate.
It’s reasonable to think that this could be the same for Riley. By now, the hand is fully healed, and the recovery period for his recent injury appears to be much shorter by comparison.
This doesn’t guarantee that he’ll bounce back, but the precedent is there for him to get closer to resembling the hitter he used to be.
