Austin Riley Calls His Own Season ‘Terrible and Awful’ After Braves Slump Continues

Austin Riley isn’t sugarcoating anything anymore. After another quiet night at the plate, the Braves third baseman went straight to the point with reporters. He used the words “terrible” and “awful” to describe his season. That’s not the kind of talk you normally hear from a guy the Braves handed a $212 million extension two years ago.

The honesty came after Atlanta lost 5-3 to the Cardinals on Tuesday, a game where the offense went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Riley himself went hitless. Again. Braves insider Grant McCauley shared the exchange on X, noting that Riley said he’s been spending extra time in the cage working on small things. But so far, nothing is clicking.

This is a guy who hit .281 with 37 homers and 117 RBIs in 2023. He was a cornerstone of the lineup, the kind of hitter opposing pitchers game-planned around. The Braves paid him like that. And in 2024, even while dealing with injuries, he still managed a .256 average with 19 homers and 56 RBIs in a shorter season. Hope was that once healthy, he’d pick up where he left off.

That hasn’t happened. Riley is slashing .207 with eight homers and 37 RBIs. The power numbers are down, the average is down, and the frustration is real. He’s not missing big mistakes. He’s rolling over on pitches he used to crush. The swing looks long. Pitchers are attacking him with soft stuff away, and he’s not adjusting.

The injuries might still be a factor

Riley dealt with a side issue last season and a wrist problem. Both can sap power and mess with timing. Even if he feels healthy now, the muscle memory of compensating for an injury doesn’t just disappear overnight. The Braves medical staff has cleared him. But the numbers suggest something mechanical or mental is off.

There’s also the lineup context. Atlanta has been winning anyway, so Riley’s slump isn’t tanking the season. But that might actually make it harder. When the team needs you and you’re not producing, the pressure builds. And when the team wins without you, there’s a weird kind of isolation in the dugout. Riley is still hitting in the middle of the order, which means the Braves are betting on him figuring it out.

He’s 28 years old. That’s prime age for a power hitter. Slumps happen. But this one has lasted more than three months. At some point, it stops being a slump and starts being a pattern. Riley seems to know that. Which is why his blunt assessment felt less like a pity party and more like a challenge to himself.

The Braves are still in first place. But come October, they’ll need the guy who hit 37 homers and drove in 117 runs. Not the one hitting .207. Riley said he’s putting in the time. The results just have to follow.