Austin Riley Getting Hot When the Atlanta Braves Need Him Most

The Atlanta Braves resurgence in June coincides with Austin Riley heating up.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley has gotten hot along with the weather / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive struggles have hit the Atlanta Braves in the same fashion recent heat waves have hit the much of the United States. It hasn’t been fun, and everyone is looking for some relief. 

Braves third baseman Austin Riley is the equivalent of getting in front of an electric fan. It’s ironic to equate a bat that’s heating up to something cool. I know. But just roll with it. 

Much of the Braves' recent-winning ways have been attributed to Jarred Kelenic's move to the leadoff spot, but it's no coincidence that as Riley goes, so do the Braves.

While it’s easy for it to get overlooked when the team is struggling as a whole, he has sneakily been returning to his All-Star form over the last month. 

It won’t land him a last-second spot in the Midsummer Classic, but the Braves get a key bat back to form with plenty of baseball left to make an impact.  

New Month, Old Self 

Through the first two months of the season, Riley was completely out of character at the plate. His power was missing with just three home runs in 42 games, and he had an uptick in his strikeout rate.  On May 31, he was on pace to strike out 181, which would be a career high. 

Riley was on pace for just 12 home runs and 69 RBIs - both would be major dips from the past three seasons. Since 2021, Riley has averaged 36 home runs and 99 RBIs a season. 

Quite the cold spell for the two-time all-star. 

Then, June arrived and it was as if a switch flipped. On June 1, Riley went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in the Braves 11-9 loss to the Oakland A’s. The numbers started to improve quickly after that. 

Through 23 games in June, Riley has a slash line of .310/.383/.560/.943 with five home runs and 12 RBIs. That’s a bit more what the Braves and their fans have gotten used to seeing the last few years. 

Riley’s batting average for the season has increased from .228 to .255 and his OPS has jumped from .648 to .747. Over a 162 span, Riley would be on pace for 35 home runs. He’s also cut down on his strikeouts. In May, his strikeout percentage was 26.9%. While in June, it has been 21.4%.  More balls in play gives him more chances to be a difference-maker. 

That might sound obvious, but think of it this way - baseball is a numbers game. Strikeouts are guaranteed outs. Any ball in play gives the team a better chance of succeeding. Even if strikeouts are being replaced with ground balls, which still isn’t ideal, Riley is batting .342 on balls in play. 

It puts the Braves one step closer to solving their problems on offense this season. 

The metaphorical A/C is still in need of repairs. But, hey, getting that fan is an improvement from sitting around in the totally hot, humid room you were in before.