The Atlanta Braves have already clinched the NL East and are likely on their way to holding the No. 3 overall seed in the National League playoff picture.
However, it’s still important to end the regular season on the right note, and with six games remaining, Atlanta will begin a series at home on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
Ahead of the matchup, Braves manager Walt Weiss made a few notable changes to his starting lineup since the last time we saw Atlanta on the field, which was Sunday against the Houston Astros.
Braves Announce Austin Riley Decision
While it hasn’t been a perfect 2026 campaign for Austin Riley, Weiss and the Braves have stuck with him as a near-everyday player.
He was not in the starting lineup on Sunday, but for Tuesday night’s game, he has been inserted back into the batting order, hitting seventh while getting the start at his usual third-base position.
Here’s the full Braves lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Braves 9/22 R. Acuña Jr. RF D. Baldwin DH M. Olson 1B O. Albies 2B M. Harris II CF M. Dubón LF A. Riley 3B S. Murphy C H. Kim SS J. Ritchie SP.”
Braves 9/22
R. Acuña Jr. RF
D. Baldwin DH
M. Olson 1B
O. Albies 2B
M. Harris II CF
M. Dubón LF
A. Riley 3B
S. Murphy C
H. Kim SSJ. Ritchie SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 22, 2026
Looking at Riley’s 2026 Season
In his eighth MLB season, Riley is on pace to set career lows in several major statistical hitting categories.
That said, he’s appeared in 153 games, and across that span, he’s batting .220 with 62 runs, 120 hits, 17 home runs, and 69 RBIs while slugging .360 with a .692 OPS.
He remains a critical part of the Braves lineup, and if he gets a hot bat in October, none of these struggles will matter whatsoever.
Atlanta Braves Announce Austin Riley Decision Before Reds Series