Atlanta Braves rookie Austin Riley injures himself working out, placed on IL

As all fans know, injuries are a part of the game. No doubt you’ve had one of your favorite players injured or perhaps even have seen an injury occur yourself. This time, Atlanta Braves outfielder Austin Riley has been placed on the disabled list for an unorthodox reason.

Injuries happen in a lot of different ways, but Atlanta Braves prospect turned star rookie got injured in a rather mysterious way. As Kelsey Wingert tweeted:

"”Brian Snitker says Austin Riley is having knee issues. Happened when he was working out. He will be placed on the IL. They do not know the exact injury or the severity yet.”"

680 the Fan also chimed in with an update:

"”#Braves placing Austin Riley on the IL with a knee ligament injury. More details to come.”"

Even though Austin Riley has slumped as of late, it represents what could be a potentially serious situation for the Atlanta Braves.

These types of injuries to ligaments can be something as simple as a strain, which could sideline him a while, or something as serious as a tear, such as a torn ACL or MCL that could require surgery and have the phenom out for up to 12 months.

The implications of the injury won’t really come to light until the extent of the injury is known — Riley will need to get an MRI.

In most cases, teams will send a player back to their home city for testing. All of these details remain to be seen.

Impacts could range from calling a player up from the minor leagues for a bit. The team could elect to call up an outfielder or an infielder.

Options in Triple-A include players such as Pedro Florimon, Andres Blanco, Rafael Ortega or maybe even Cristian Pache or Drew Waters.

All of those options, however, would cause the Atlanta Braves to have to make a move on their 40-man roster. The Bravos could also elect to call up an extra arm.

With Dansby Swanson due to return, that could well be the corresponding move.

As of the last update, Swanson was still in Atlanta receiving treatment. Brian Snitker has said he’ll need a rehab game before he comes back.

So with his return potentially a few days away, we are likely to see some sort of roster move.

Looking further out, this could also affect the Atlanta Braves offseason. It could push the teams into re-signing Josh Donaldson or pursuing another free agent like Anthony Rendon.

Either way, let’s hope for the best on this situation. Austin Riley is not only an important piece to the puzzle this season, but also to the team’s future.