Braves' Austin Riley: Getting the call
The Braves will promote Riley from Triple-A Gwinnett ahead of Wednesday's game against the Cardinals, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Riley will get the long-awaited call to the big leagues in response to center fielder Ender Inciarte exiting Tuesday's loss with a back injury, but a promotion for the 22-year-old would have certainly been justified from a performance standpoint. After slugging a grand slam in his final game for Gwinnett on Tuesday, Riley leaves Triple-A with a .299/377/.681 slash line and 15 long balls in just 37 games. Though Riley played exclusively at third base prior to this season, he's dabbled at first base and left field recently, with the Braves likely to use him at the latter position while Inciarte is sidelined. If Riley continues to mash in his initial opportunities with the Braves, it's possible he sticks in a full-time role for the rest of the season while Inciarte transitions to a fourth-outfielder role once healthy.
