Braves place third baseman Austin Riley on 10-day injured list with an abdominal strain
Riley was lifted for a pinch hitter in the fourth inning of the
Braves' 6-5 win at St. Louis
on Friday night. He said he first noticed discomfort while fielding a Pedro Pagés bunt in the second inning, and it got worse on a Willson Contreras groundout in the third.
'It's a weird spot. I have to make that play all the time and never have any issues, so I don't know really what happened,' Riley said. 'I went through my normal routine of preparing, and I feel like I do a good job of making sure I'm ready.'
After Sunday's game in St. Louis, Atlanta will host the All-Star Game on Tuesday and then come out of the All-Star break with a three-game series against the New York Yankees starting Friday.
'Obviously, we got the break coming up,' Riley said. 'I think that that'll be huge, getting some rest there, and hopefully be back in no time.'
Riley is hitting .274 this season and entered Saturday ranked third in the NL with 104 hits, behind Trea Turner and Manny Machado. He has hit 14 home runs with 48 RBIs. He was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023.
Manager Brian Snitker said he noticed Riley still seemed uncomfortable when the two shared an elevator Saturday morning.
He moved Ronald Acuña Jr. down to third in the lineup to beef up the middle of the order with Riley out. Jurickson Profar, who returned from a suspension on July 1, took over the leadoff spot from Acuña, who missed the first two months of the season while recovering from a knee injury.
'We just keep battling through things like that. I mean, we've done it for over a year,' Snitker said. 'I hate it for Austin, too, because he's swinging the bat pretty good.'
The Braves recalled infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. from Triple-A Gwinnett and inserted him at third base for Riley. Alvarez, who appeared in eight games for the Braves last July, was hitting .361 in 11 games with Gwinnett. He was a fifth-round draft pick in 2022.
Atlanta also activated left-handed pitcher Joey Wentz after selecting him on waivers from Minnesota. Right-hander Nathan Wiles was optioned to Gwinnett.
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Column: Why Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong is content with just being himselfFirst-base coach Jose Javier put together clips of the Nationals' Jacob Young, the Brewers' Christian Yelich and the Mets' Jose Siri and showed Crow-Armstrong the video. Throughout spring training, he worked to lock in his pre-pitch rhythm. He focused on getting his feet moving as the pitch was delivered to create momentum and not be stagnant when taking his first step. Crow-Armstrong said former third-base coach Willie Harris, who also worked with the outfielders, tried to get him to implement a similar approach with his footwork but he didn't feel comfortable when he tried it. Sometimes it takes another voice and perspective, in this case Berry's, to shift a player's understanding of why something works. 'Basically he was beating people up with one arm behind the back instead of using both hands,' Berry said. 'Now we freed up the other hand, and he's covering ground like crazy. 'He's probably the most special center fielder I've ever seen. The amount of difficult balls he makes look so easy, the amount of ground he's covering is unreal.' For as much attention as Crow-Armstrong's offensive numbers understandably have garnered, Cubs manager Craig Counsell is more impressed by his defensive development. His throwing accuracy has greatly improved, and he's making better reads on when to attempt to throw out a runner versus getting the ball to the cutoff man. There were moments last year when he got his mitt on a fly ball, regardless of the difficulty, but wasn't able to complete the catch. It's something Counsell noticed, too, and the contrast this season has been undeniable. 'It's in a lot of ways more exciting because the defense just feels more stable,' Counsell said, comparing it with Crow-Armstrong's offensive development. 'One of the things he's done great is he gets to balls and he catches them. There he's been so much better. 'And whether that's the first step that's made some of those plays easier, that's absolutely a possibility. But he puts the glove on the ball and he's catching it — and that, with his range, is a wonderful trait.' Speed can create chaos. Crow-Armstrong's mere presence on base at times causes defenders to glitch during routine sequences. 'It's an obligation to be able to really home in on that part of the game,' Crow-Armstrong said, 'because taking advantage of your athleticism doesn't always mean just stealing a base or playing defense. Being able to take someone's focus off of the basic play is huge.' The increase in power, and by extension extra-base hits, hasn't created as many chances for Crow-Armstrong to steal bases. He had 21 doubles, four triples and 25 home runs in 389 plate appearances through Thursday, compared with 13 doubles, six triples and 10 homers in 410 PAs in 2024. When he does get on first base, he's trying to understand the moments to commit to a steal attempt. 'He's still very green in the way he thinks about base stealing,' Berry said. 'Once the game starts slowing down for him and he can read what's happening, he's going to be unstoppable. 'Right now he just knows he's so good, he just wants to go. But once he really starts understanding what the pitchers are trying to do with him, you might see him get caught once all season.' The evolution of advanced metrics in the last 10 years has led to better ways to quantify a player's baserunning ability beyond stolen-base numbers. Statcast's net bases gained statistic is the sum of advances gained and outs created by the runner. Crow-Armstrong's 13 net bases gained through Thursday were tied with the Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. for fifth in the majors. Fangraphs' baserunning stat (BsR), which includes stolen bases and caught stealings, ranks him tied for first with the Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton at 5.8. 'The growth really is just that the league is terrified of him, honestly — like, that's just the facts, and that's probably a little excessive,' Counsell clarified. 'But they're very respectful of his speed and how that changes things during the course of the game.' Crow-Armstrong believes his base-stealing development and baserunning ability took a big step forward last year by developing a mentality of keeping his body moving forward, leading to an uptick in confidence. It was a message former first-base coach Mike Napoli preached to him, and the concept has been reiterated as recently as the end of June, when Crow-Armstrong discussed the topic in the dugout with veteran Jon Berti during a series in Houston. 'The confidence in just taking the bag — I don't know what it's like in other clubhouses — but my whole time I've been in the big leagues with the Cubs, back to '23, it's just about the work,' Crow-Armstrong said. 'You're not necessarily going to find a tip or a tell or a window on every pitcher. But being able to pick little pieces of the game up … knowing when to run, picking your spots and getting to know your teammates as hitters, like when do they like you to run. So there's a lot.' Entering the weekend, Crow-Armstrong's 27 steals ranked third in the majors. He had been caught just four times. Yet he isn't satisfied with what he has shown in the running game. 'I would be very disappointed in myself if I felt like I was plateauing in that area right now,' he said. 'It's definitely exciting knowing that there's more in the tank — and there definitely is too. There's a lot that I can get better at with it still.' Crow-Armstrong glanced at the gray jersey hanging in his road locker with the red No. 4 popping off the back beneath his name. He isn't quite ready to thank Hoyer for the number change from 52 to the slicker-looking 4, a switch Crow-Armstrong was forced to make when Hoyer sank a shot on the basketball hoop next to the agility field at the Cubs spring training complex. 'I'm still a little bitter that I lost the bet,' Crow-Armstrong said, grinning. It's impossible to go to a Cubs road game without seeing No. 4 Crow-Armstrong jerseys, let alone the multitude of fans wearing them at Wrigley Field. He still gets thrown by seeing how many people don his name and number. Sometimes on his drive home from Wrigley, he spots someone with his jersey and thinks about his parents. 'It's wild, I don't know how else you describe it,' Matt Armstrong said of fans wearing his son's jersey. 'It doesn't seem real.' Since opening day, Crow-Armstrong's jersey has been MLB's 18th-biggest seller on Fanatics websites. He is the only Cub to crack the top 20. All-Star voting helped Crow-Armstrong contextualize his popularity outside of Cubs fans. He received the fourth-most votes — more than 3 million — among all National League players during the first phase of voting, then finished second behind the Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. among NL outfielders during the final round to earn the start in the Midsummer Classic. 'A little wider recognition from other people is one of the cooler things that I've kind of come to understand,' Crow-Armstrong said. The 'M-V-Pete!' chants from the bleacher bums in center field has been a regular tune welcoming him to his defensive position at Wrigley. Crow-Armstrong embraces the on-field showmanship aspect of the game. It has played a role in how his popularity has taken off. 'We have a very serious, very hardworking, disciplined group,' Hoyer said, 'and having a guy with stars on his hair and having a guy with some flair to him I think is a good thing. It's good for all of them and they've done a great job embracing it. It's good for the dynamic because you don't want all of one type of personality. It's nice to have some flash. 'I think Pete feels like he has incredible potential, so I don't think he's surprised at how he's doing. He's not shocked by what's going on and therefore he's able to handle it. This is the expectation for himself.' Column: How Pete Crow-Armstrong's impromptu thank-you speech brought Wrigley Field community closerBefore and after nearly every home game, Crow-Armstrong stops at the barrier next to the players parking lot where fans wait to get autographs. He makes it a priority to sign for kids, many of whom are wearing his jersey. 'There's definitely days that I'd rather just put my hood on and tie it around my face and walk to the car,' he said. 'But the game is bigger than that and the game is going to be around for a long time — hopefully forever — and I will not. 'So I see so much value in the younger presence being in our game. I love signing for the kids because that's who will be continuing this game for me and for us.' He understands how special those interactions can be for young fans. He remembers going onto the field at Dodger Stadium at 5 years old and meeting Nomar Garciaparra, and briefly crossing paths at age 9 with Cam Newton and chatting with the quarterback during his Heisman Trophy season at Auburn. 'It's hard not to (bleeping) love that, right?' Crow-Armstrong said. 'But seeing the kids just freaking out over everybody that walks out, it's very enticing. That's where the future of the game lies is in the little kids. Core memories are cool, and I hope I can provide one of those for some people out there.' Veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon has noticed how, even after losses, Crow-Armstrong makes an effort to connect with fans postgame. That type of commitment reminds Taillon of what he saw from Judge's interactions with Yankees fans while they were teammates in New York. 'With that success comes a little bit of responsibility for Pete to be a voice and a face,' Taillon told the Tribune. 'There's a lot of kids that look up to him, kids making signs. He handles it really well and I think he'll continue to grow into it.' One of the most exciting parts of Crow-Armstrong's performance this year is the knowledge he still can get better in every facet. That prospect is thrilling, that is, for Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs. Opposing teams, especially pitchers, won't be as thrilled about that possibility. 'You're getting a glimpse of what type of player he is and not what he can be,' Kelly said. 'We're seeing an incredible player right now and you just wonder, 'Oh, my gosh, how much better does this get?' And I still think there's room in there for him to get better.' While he appreciates his overall performance at the All-Star break, Crow-Armstrong isn't satisfied by what he has shown. Limiting the length of offensive slumps already has been on display this year. But Crow-Armstrong knows there are areas he expects to improve over time. He's well aware of his propensity to be a free swinger and believes he can develop a better approach with experience. There's no denying, though, that the Cubs have a budding superstar. 'The thing that blows me away about superstar players is just the consistency,' Taillon said. 'For Pete, not just to do it this year but to show up next year and be hungry and keep repeating it, posting, plan every day — that's where the really great ones come from.'
