Is Austin Riley back? The answer sure looks a lot closer to yes than it did a few months ago.
For most of the first half, Riley was buried under ugly numbers and even uglier at-bats. Through 385 plate appearances, he was sitting at .207/.288/.329 with a 73 wRC+ and nine home runs.
That wasn’t just a slump on paper. He looked genuinely out of sorts at the plate, and the issue seemed to go beyond results.
The bat speed was still there - in the 92nd percentile - but the approach wasn’t.
Since the All-Star Break, though, the picture has changed fast. Excluding last night, Riley has put together a .290/.333/.522 line with a 131 wRC+ and four home runs. The fifth came last night and looked like a big one before things turned ugly.
One thing that stands out now is where the damage is coming from. Riley has started pulling non-fastballs, and that feels like a meaningful shift.
It’s not clear whether that’s a mechanical tweak, a better read on pitches, or simply seeing the ball more cleanly, but the pattern is there. A few of those balls have been headed well into the Yankee Stadium left field bleachers.
There’s another sign that points in the same direction: he isn’t taking breaking pitches the other way. Those pitches are getting pulled or hit back up the middle. That has to say something about pitch recognition, even if the full explanation isn’t obvious yet.
So is Austin Riley back? From here, it certainly looks like it.
In Other News...
Braves Face 2 Contract Calls That Could Shape Their Next Core
The Braves are already staring at a familiar kind of roster puzzle, the sort that can quietly shape a contenders future long before free agency actually arrives. With several core pieces set to hit the market after the 2026 season, the front office has to decide which players are worth betting on now, while their value is still clearer and their cost is still manageable.
Two names sit near the center of that conversation in Atlanta: Raisel Iglesias and Mauricio Dubon. Both fit the kind of practical, high-use profile that winning teams tend to keep around, and the next stretch will go a long way toward determining whether the Braves treat them as part of the next core or simply two more pieces in a crowded roster picture. There is also a harder edge to the same discussion, because not every expensive or familiar name deserves the same treatment, and the decisions on the margins could matter just as much as the headline moves. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Riley Explains What Sparked His Turnaround At The Plate
Austin Rileys recent progress at the plate has not come out of nowhere. The Braves third baseman said the turnaround has been tied to swing adjustments and steady guidance from hitting coaches Tim Hyers and Darnell Coles, along with the confidence he has felt from manager Walt Weiss. Riley also pointed to the importance of staying healthy through targeted training, while crediting his family for helping him get through what has been a long season.
What makes the stretch more interesting is the mindset behind it. Riley has talked about the value of focusing on what he can do now instead of trying to relive past production, a shift that can be just as important as any mechanical tweak. In a season where every small offensive spark matters, the Braves have reason to keep watching whether this version of Riley can keep building on the gains he has found. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Need A Different Outfield Answer Than Mike Yastrzemski
The Braves went into the Mike Yastrzemski addition expecting a clean platoon fit, but Jurickson Profars suspension quickly pushed him into a more regular outfield role. Since then, the mix has been less settled than the club probably hoped, with Yastrzemski and Dom Smith both scuffling enough to keep the front office and coaching staff looking at other ways to stabilize the spot.
One name that keeps coming up is Patrick Clohisy, whose rise through Double-A and Triple-A has been built on more than just bat-to-ball skill. He has shown the kind of defense and base-running pop that could make him useful even before the hitting fully translates, and the Braves need for more speed on the bases only adds to the appeal of giving him a look sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]