Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
During Friday's spring training game against the Washington Nationals, the unthinkable almost happened for Austin Riley. The Atlanta Braves star third baseman had to be removed from the game after getting hit by a pitch on the same wrist that he broke down the stretch of last season, temporarily giving every fan a flashback to 2024's plucky but exhausted roster that eventually ran out of gas in the NL Wild Card Round.
When healthy, Riley can play like an NL MVP at the hot corner for Atlanta. It is why Riley is one of the many postion players skipper Brian Snitker pencils into the lineup every day and twice on Sunday, hardly every taking a day off. His power bat and improved glove make him one of the most complete players at his position group in MLB. However, this near-injury reminds us of the consequences of Atlanta's rather quiet offseason.
The only major addition of note to the team was former San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar, whom the team acquired in the latter stages of free agency. It is only fitting that the man who will be keeping the leadoff spot warm for Ronald Acuña Jr. almost suffered a brutal spring training injury himself. He jammed his wrist while trying to catch a ball in the outfield. This is spring training, folks ...
When the initially update on Riley hit the internet on Friday afternoon, it sent Braves Country to such a dark place.
3B Austin Riley was removed from today’s game as a precaution after being hit by a pitch in his right hand.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 14, 2025
About two hours later, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked them off the ledge.
Austin Riley didn’t suffer a fracture. Day to day. He doesn’t even have to go back to Atlanta for further testing.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) March 14, 2025
But while the Braves appear to have dodged a bullet here, the anxiety won't dissipate that easily. This all comes down to Alex Anthopoulos building this team to win with its best players, and not its depth.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Why Austin Riley injury scare reveals Atlanta Braves' construction flaw
The best way I can explain this is how Bill Polian built the Indianapolis Colts around Peyton Manning, or how a superteam was constructed back in the day in the NBA. If Manning, LeBron James or whomever went down, the team was screwed. It is the price to pay of having a team front-loaded with transcendent stars. Riley is not that, but here's a key cog in an Atlanta lineup which at its peak is up there with the best in MLB.
In essence, the Colts, the Miami Heat, and apparently the Braves, do not practice screwed. If a key player like Riley, Profar or whomever goes down, Anthopoulos will do his best to make a trade. Should he be unable to do that, he can always sign this year's version of Whit Merrifield, Gio Urshela or some other team's veteran castoff. It could raise the floor a bit, but the ceiling is as high as one you could reach.
What I am getting at is Atlanta was given the green light to spend big this offseason, but Anthopoulos took his ball and went home. He may end up looking like a genius when it is all said and done; nobody thought Chris Sale would win the NL Triple Crown, just like no one thought Reynaldo Lopez would be a frontline, All-Star starting pitcher. AA has earned the benefit of the doubt, but this team needs to win.
And that means Atlanta needs to get to Opening Day as healthy as possible and no longer resembling a MASH unit.