“Have my left side please”; “I can live with one side” - Fans react as Braves star Austin Riley exits game due to tightness

On Sunday, Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley had to leave mid-game during the final game of the three-game series against the New York Mets. The reason was later announced to be tightness in his left side.

Austin Riley left in the fourth inning and was replaced by Zack Short. Fans expressed their concern toward Riley’s situation with some humor in their comments on a recent tweet about his injury.

“I can live with one side of he needs it,” a fan said.

“I have an unused left side. front porch pick up,” another fan said.

“Have my left side please,” a user wrote.

Among the many humorous comments, several others expressed their worries about Austin Riley's injury, hoping it was not too serious.

“Please don’t be an oblique injury,” a Braves fan wrote.

“Just as he is starting to get hot his game is cut short,” a comment reads.

“In all seriousness, if he felt it in batting practice, they should have just kept him out altogether,” someone wrote.

After a close match, the New York Mets won 4-3 against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are going 24-13 this season and are ranked 2nd in the NL East rankings.

Austin Riley felt discomfort during BP but only spoke up mid game

Austin Riley got a single in the first inning and struck out in the third before leaving the game. The Atlanta Braves manager, Brian Snitker, shared that the two-time All-Star felt uncomfortable during batting practice but didn’t mention it to anyone.

Riley finally spoke about the issue when he felt discomfort again during the game.

“He was sore. I just didn’t want to take any chances, so we’ll look at him again tomorrow and see what’s up,” Snitker said (via AP News).

“I’m glad Austin said something. I don’t want him going through something like that and then take a big swing and – it’s smart on his part to mention that. A cool night, damp and all that stuff. One game’s not worth that. We don’t mess around with this stuff.”

This season, Austin Riley has a batting average of .245 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. In August 2022, Riley inked a 10-year contract worth $212 million with the Atlanta Braves.