News Flash: Freddie Freeman takes a partial day off.
This is real stop-the-presses, man-bites-dog stuff. It’s generally thought that you can’t get Freeman out of the Braves lineup without a crowbar and a court order. He never closes. And yet, on Sunday in a series finale against Cincinnati, Freddie rested for eight whole innings, before re-entering in the ninth to pinch-hit and take back his spot at first as the game went into extra innings.
News Flash Part II: The Braves new first baseman Sunday, Austin Riley.
» More: Braves facing personnel decisions
If you were surprised to see that Freeman’s name really isn’t written into the Braves lineup in indelible ink, think of Riley’s reaction when he reported to work Sunday morning.
That’s the first time he heard he was going to man first. “I saw it on the board (inside the clubhouse) about five minutes ago,” he said about 10:30 a.m. “It’s going to be fun.”
For the young third baseman who has played anything but third base since being promoted from Triple-A in mid-May, Sunday was to be his Major League debut at first. The news was sprung on him on game day. Grab that big first-baseman’s glove you have squirreled away, kid — “Mizuno sent me one, I had one stowed in the back so whenever I did need it,” he said. And sub in for a Gold Glover for a day.
“I have some big shoes to fill, giving him a breather. I’m looking forward to it,” Riley said Sunday morning.
Riley’s day at first went without error or embarrassment. He clearly doesn’t possess Freeman’s rubber-band-man kind of stretch. Nor does he engage every opponent who reaches in long, jocular conversation, like Freeman. But he collected every throw his way — none of them particularly difficult.
Most challenging were the occasions the Reds bunted Riley’s direction, but his instincts served him well. In the third inning he knew enough to get out of the way of catcher Tyler Flowers on a sacrifice bunt. And in the fourth, on a bases-load squeeze down the first base line by Sonny Gray, Riley made the only play he had, tagging out the Reds pitcher as he tried to run past.
Since being called up, Riley has appeared in 56 games in left field for the Braves and two games at third, where Josh Donaldson has put down stakes. This spring, he worked sparingly at first, and appeared there four games early this season with Triple-A Gwinnett.
“It’s just opposite side of the field, ball comes the same way,” he said.
The biggest difference between first and third? “More involved (at first). Every ground ball you have to be ready, footwork wise, to get to the bag and get ready to receive a ball,” Riley said.
“It won’t be bad at all. I think I played once a week at Triple-A. I have some experience over there, shouldn’t be bad.” By 11:30, Riley was on the field working drills with Braves infield coach Ron Washington, using the biggest glove in his collection.
This was only the second game this season that Freeman hasn’t started (Charlie Culberson started for him in a May game against Arizona). Over the last two seasons, Freeman leads all of baseball with 273 games played. He appeared in all 162 games last season.
Riley has been riding some extreme waves since getting called up. He announced his presence with authority, becoming the quickest to double-digit career home runs and the quickest to 25 career RBI in franchise history. Then the baseball world caught up to him. In July, he hit .156, with 30 strikeouts in 70 plate appearances.
When Riley homered Friday against Cincinnati, it broke a 50 at-bat homerless streak. “Like everyone knows I have been struggling so on a day like that is always needed moving forward,” he said. Batting fifth in the lineup Sunday, he collected another extra-base hit against the Reds, a lead-off double in the fourth, but was lifted for pinch-hitter Brian McCann in the ninth. In two games against Cincy, Riley was 2-for-7, with two strikeouts.
It was suggested to Riley that playing first was no big ask, considering that he'd probably volunteer to catch if it meant another day playing in the Majors. Who knows how the roster will be reshaped once Dansby Swanson is reactivated?
Riley didn’t disagree.
“Any way I can get in there, left field, center field — well, I doubt center field will happen,” he said with a smile. “I’m down to play.”
