Austin Riley's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (side) remains out of the lineup for Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader versus the visiting San Diego Padres. Riley fielded grounders ahead of Sunday's matchup against San Diego, which is positive step forward in his recovery from intercostal discomfort in his left side, but it's unclear if he's been cleared to resume swinging. If he's not still experiencing the discomfort, however, the 27-year-old All-Star slugger seems to have a decent chance of rejoining Atlanta's lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect to see Riley in Monday's nightcap, though. Zack Short is at third base and batting seventh against Padres right-hander Dylan Cease in the matinee, and he's 1-for-4 with two walks in six plate appearances against Cease in his career.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (side) is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the San Diego Padres. It will be the sixth straight game that Riley has missed due to side inflammation. Riley has managed to avoid the injured list and is still considered day-to-day, but it is slightly concerning that he continues to miss time. In his absence, Zack Short will at third base and bat seventh against Padres starter Yu Darvish. Short is a fantasy afterthought at this point as he is slashing a paltry .172/.333/.241 through 29 at-bats in 2024.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (side) remains sidelined for Friday's series opener against the visiting San Diego Padres. Zack Short will make yet another start at the hot corner in Atlanta and will hit in the nine-hole versus Padres right-hander Matt Waldron. Riley is missing his fourth straight game after being pulled from Sunday's game early against the New York Mets with a left-side issue. The 27-year-old's MRI exam earlier this week showed only inflammation, so there's still hope he can avoid a trip to the injured list. Still, if Riley cannot play at all in the weekend series against the Padres, things could change. Since joining the Braves, Short has gone 4-for-10 with two doubles and two RBI in just four games, but he's hitting .192 (5-for-26) on the year as a whole and is a career .175 hitter in 193 big-league games. Avoid him in DFS.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (side) remains out of action on Wednesday for the series finale against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Zack Short will continue to start at the hot corner for Atlanta and will bat ninth against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad. This will be the third straight game that Riley has missed after leaving Sunday's loss to the New York Mets with left-side inflammation. It's a day-to-day situation for the 27-year-old from now, and he could be back in the team's starting lineup on Friday for the series opener against the visiting San Diego Padres with a scheduled off day coming on Friday. Short is a light-hitting infielder that should be avoided in fantasy formats, especially hitting at the bottom of the order. The 28-year-old has gone 3-for-22 (.136) this year with no homers, one RBI and one stolen base.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (side) is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Chicago Cubs. In his place yet again, Zack Short will start at third and will hit ninth for the Braves against Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon. The 27-year-old will be missing his second straight game, but the good news is an MRI exam on Monday showed only inflammation in his side after he was forced from Sunday night's loss to the New York Mets early. The Braves will be off on Thursday, so Riley could be held out until Friday for the start of a series against the visiting San Diego Padres. When healthy and in the lineup, Riley is a must-start in all fantasy formats in the strong Braves' lineup. He should be considered day-to-day for now.