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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 22: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves hits a single during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on June 22, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

On Tuesday night, the Atlanta Braves will continue their three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

Most recently, the team lost the series opener 1-0.

Austin Riley went 3-for-4 in the loss. 

Atlanta Braves Announce Austin Riley Change Before Padres Game

Ahead of the second game of the series, the Atlanta Braves announced their starting lineup.

Underdog MLB posted on X: “Braves 6/23 M. Harris II CF O. Albies 2B M. Olson 1B D. Smith LF M. Dubón SS D. Baldwin C A. Riley 3B R. Tellez DH M. Yastrzemski RF J. Ritchie SP

Despite registering three hits in the loss, the Atlanta Braves moved Riley down in the lineup, as he will hit seventh. Riley had previously started four consecutive games as the team’s No. 6 hitter. 

It will mark Riley’s eighth appearance of the season as the team’s No. 7 hitter. In that spot, Riley has hit .280 with a 177 WRC+ in 29 plate appearances. 

On the season, the two-time All-Star is batting .219 with 61 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 31 runs, 36 RBIs and four stolen bases in 76 games.

Austin Riley’s Struggles

Austin Riley’s .650 OPS is the lowest of his career, and has continued a worrying trend for Riley where his OPS has declined in each season since 2022.

Regarding Riley’s struggles, Chris Guest wrote for Last Word on Sports:
“Riley has always been a swing-and-miss hitter; it’s simply who he is. The Braves have accepted it for years because when he’s at his best, the value he provides makes that trade-off worthwhile. A few ugly strikeouts are easier to stomach when they come with 35-homer power, a strong slugging percentage, and the ability to flip a game with one swing.

That bargain looks a lot worse when the strikeouts remain, but the potency disappears.

Riley’s strikeout rate now sits at 28.9%, up from 24.1% in 2023 and 25.2% in 2024. It has also edged past last year’s already concerning 28.6% mark, which makes this feel less like a little slump and more like a notable trend that the Braves need to take very seriously, and potentially, sound the alarm bells. Four or five extra percentage points over a full season means a lot of additional plate appearances ending with a ball sitting in the opposing catcher’s mitt.”

Braves Right Now

Despite lackluster offensive production from their two-time Silver Slugger, the Braves remain in first place of the National League East. At 48-29, they are 6.5 games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies.

Right-hander JR Ritchie is set to make his seventh start this season. Ritchie enters Tuesday’s matchup with a 1-2 record and a 4.54 ERA across 35.2 innings.