The Braves’ Austin Riley, sidelined with a partially torn knee ligament for two weeks, will begin a minor-league rehab assignment at Rome on Friday. The Braves hope his bat, as well as his knee, will prove to be reinvigorated by his time on the injured list.
“Hopefully he can … come back and do what he did when he came up the first time,” manager Brian Snitker said Thursday.
After being promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett to the big leagues May 15, Riley hit nine home runs in his first 18 games and 16 in his first 48. But he homered only once after July 6 and went on the injured list Aug. 8 with an injury sustained in the weight room.
Snitker suggested the injury might have given Riley an opportunity to “push the reset button.”
“This might have been a good time to let his mind ease and start fresh,” Snitker said. “It could be a big boost if he goes down, rehabs, comes back and does what he did before.”
