Braves star Austin Riley removed after scary HBP

The Atlanta Braves have been one of the most injured teams in the league this year, and their bad luck continues to worsen.

They are trying to secure the third wildcard spot in the National League, but will have to do without several All-Star players.

During Sunday's game against the Angels, they added another All-Star to their list of players with injury concerns.

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Braves third baseman Austin Riley was hit in the hand by a fastball in the first inning against the Angels. 97 mph straight off the hand. Riley ran the bases before being taken out of the game after the inning.

He was obviously in pain, but the Braves franchise could suffer even more if Riley is out for an extended period of time. Best case scenario, they get the swelling under control, imaging is negative, and Riley can return to the lineup in a day or two.

In a worst-case scenario, Riley will end up on the injured list and miss weeks of play. At this point in the season, that could cost him the rest of the year and force the Braves to find another bat if his hand is broken.

This is just the worst-case scenario for a Braves team that is on the verge of a playoff spot. They will need Riley if they want to have any chance of competing in the postseason.

This season, Riley posted a .256 batting average, .322 on-base percentage, .461 slugging percentage, 19 home runs, 56 RBI, 63 runs and 109 hits in 425 at-bats (110 games).

For now, all the Braves can do is wait and see what the test results say for Riley's hand and hope there was no serious damage.