The Atlanta Braves, with a 55-40 record in Major League Baseball this season, will open up the back half of their season with a weekend series (at home) against the Texas Rangers.
Both the Rangers and Braves are in first place in their respective divisions. Atlanta holds a 2.5-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East currently.
Before the series opener against the Rangers, the Atlanta Braves released their lineup, which features where Austin Riley is batting.
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Austin Riley Batting Seventh on Friday Evening against the Rangers
GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – JULY 3: Michael Harris II #23 and Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate after a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets at Truist Park on July 3, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images)
In game one of the Braves-Rangers series, Austin Riley will be batting seventh for the Atlanta Braves.
UnderdogMLB wrote (on Friday, July 17):
Braves 7/17: “D. Baldwin C O. Albies 2B M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón LF D. Smith DH A. Riley 3B J. Jarvis SS B. Hicklen RF C. Sale SP”
D. Baldwin C O. Albies 2B M. Olson 1B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón LF D. Smith DH A. Riley 3B J. Jarvis SS B. Hicklen RF
C. Sale SP
Chris Sale (9–6, 2.20 ERA, 117 SO) is getting the start in the series opener, and other lineup notables include Jim Jarvis and Brewer Hicklen getting starts at the bottom of the order.
Atlanta has steadily placed Riley in the seventh spot in the order over the past few weeks. He has notably struggled this season for the Braves, but perhaps the time off will serve Riley well over the past two months of the campaign.
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Austin Riley This Season
GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – JULY 3: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves throws to first against the New York Mets in the sixth inning at Truist Park on July 3, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images)
So far, this season has been the worst of Austin Riley’s MLB career, which has puzzled Braves fans about the reason he’s declined so much in terms of offensive production.
Across 95 total games played and 343 at-bats, Riley is batting .207 with nine home runs, 42 RBI, and an OPS+ of 72. The OPS+ of 72 would be the lowest mark of his career by a wide margin.
It just seems like Riley is a bit lost at the plate, and it could correlate with the tragic death of his hitting coach a couple of years ago.
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