The Braves are a crippled team at the wrong time of the year. Last week, they added Ender Inciarte to their laundry list of injuries, forcing them to claim Billy Hamilton off of waivers. Fortunately, it looks like reinforcements are finally on their way.
According to David O’Brien of The Athletic, Austin Riley is back hitting after partially tearing his LCL. It was revealed last week that he would not need surgery, and he could start his rehab assignment by the end of the week. Dansby Swanson is also beginning to see some more progress from a mysterious heel injury that has turned out much worse than initially thought. O’Brien says he is back to running the bases, and Mark Bowman of MLB.com suggests he could begin his rehab assignment around the same time as Riley.
Riley will hit on the field today and could start a rehab assignment by end of the week. Dansby steady progress, ran the bases some and did quick-stop movements.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) August 20, 2019
Riley will hit on the field today and still hopes to begin his rehab assignment this weekend. Swanson is also hoping to begin an assignment within the next few days.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 20, 2019
It goes without saying; this is fantastic news for the Braves. Adeiny Hechavarria, Adam Duvall, and Rafael Ortega have filled in admirably, but it was the young stars like Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley that made this team look unbeatable in June and July. They are essential to the Braves winning their first postseason series since 2001.