Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley has been diagnosed with a fractured right hand and is expected to miss approximately six to eight weeks, the team announced Monday.
Riley was hit by a 97 mph pitch from the Los Angeles Angels‘ Jack Kochanowicz on Sunday. An MRI on Monday confirmed the injury.
He is batting .256 with 19 home runs and 56 RBIs. The Braves are second in the National League East — seven games behind the Philadelphia Phillies — and are two games in front of the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot entering Monday’s games.
In other roster moves, the Braves activated All-Star right-hander Reynaldo López from the injured list and optioned right-hander Jimmy Herget to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Lopez, who is 7-4 with a 2.06 ERA this season, hasn’t pitched since having tightness in his right forearm on July 28. He is scheduled to start against the Phillies on Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.