The Atlanta Braves are still in great shape to make the MLB playoffs, and even to win the NL East, as they lead the Phillies by four games with just three series left to be played after their mid-week series with the Chicago Cubs concludes on Wednesday.
However, the Braves are one of a few teams with real World Series aspirations, and if they are to accomplish their season-long goal, Atlanta is going to need some more contributions from players like Austin Riley, who has been enduring a season-long slump.
If the Braves can get more out of Austin Riley, their lineup looks all that much deeper.
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Braves’ Austin Riley Pinned ‘To Blame’ for September Lull
Recently, FanSided.com’s Chris Landers ran a piece that puts ‘blame’ on a handful of Braves players, and Austin Riley is one of them.
Atlanta is 6-7 in the month of September and has struggled to find consistency with their offense once again. It feels like a ‘one-game on, one-game off’ type of offense right now, which has caused the Braves to slip in the overall NL standings, which means they will likely be headed to the NL Wild Card round, where it looks like they’ll play either the San Diego Padres or Arizona Diamondbacks.
Here is what Landers had to write about Riley’s tough go of things at the plate this season:
“Of all the causes for concern on this Braves roster right now, Riley’s continued regression might be the most concerning. He’s on track for the worst wRC+ of his career after an empty 1-for-4 on Monday night, and at this point his down 2025 season seems less like an aberration and more like a potential new normal.”
Atlanta invested a ton of cash into Riley, and Landers makes a very fair point that his 2025 season, which was marginally better than 2026, looks more like his new average, which would be a concerning development for future seasons.
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Quickly Looking at Austin Riley’s 2026 Season
Austin Riley has played 149 games for the Braves this season.
Across 530 at-bats, Riley is batting .223 with 17 home runs, 185 strikeouts, and an OPS+ of 81.
Riley’s career OPS+ is 115, and he’s also a lifetime .263 hitter, so clearly something is off either mechanically or mentally for the Braves 2X All-Star infielder who inked the largest contract ever handed out to a Braves player.
However, with all that being said, Riley can erase him season-long slump from the minds of fans if he comes out with clutch swings in October.
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