Austin Riley stayed in the 7th spot when the Atlanta Braves announced their Friday lineup against the New York Mets. The decision kept a two-time MLB All-Star in the lower third of the order as Atlanta tried to reset after an 11-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Austin Riley in the 7th spot
The Braves listed Riley seventh for the series opener at Truist Park on Friday evening. He was coming off one hit and one strikeout in four at-bats, another snapshot of a season that has not matched his usual production.
Riley has moved around in the lineup many times this season, but this alignment puts him in the same run-producing lane without asking him to carry the top of the order. That gives Atlanta a clear read on where it wants his bat while the team is still sorting through a 2-8 stretch over its last ten games.
Walt Weiss and Austin Riley
On July 1, Walt Weiss said Austin Riley and Chipper Jones had several conversations recently in hopes of helping turn his season around. That detail fits the current setup: Riley remains in his eighth season with the Braves, yet his line sits at.208 with 64 hits, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 33 runs and four stolen bases in 85 games.
The batting-cage work before Wednesday's game showed the effort was already underway. The lineup choice now shows the Braves are still leaning into that adjustment rather than moving him higher for Friday's game against the New York Mets.
Atlanta's next test
For Riley, the practical question is whether the seventh spot becomes a holding pattern or the start of another shuffle. For the Braves, it is another chance to see whether a familiar bat can settle in while the order tries to snap out of its recent slide.
