Going into the 2019 season, the Braves’ plan on how to handle Austin Riley seemed pretty clear. They would allow Riley, MLB Pipeline’s No. 32 overall prospect, another season to develop in Triple-A and try him out in the outfield to increase the chance of getting some major league at-bats. After signing a one-year contract, Josh Donaldson would be manning third base most games as a stopgap until Riley was hopefully ready for the majors. If Donaldson or someone else was injured and Riley was playing well, then Riley would likely get called up.
However, Riley has forced the Braves’ hand by destroying Triple-A pitching.