Braves third baseman Austin Riley will be out six to eight weeks with a broken hand. Godofredo A. Vásquez/Associated Press

ATLANTA — The injury-plagued Atlanta Braves sustained another major blow, announcing Monday that third baseman Austin Riley will miss at least the rest of the regular season after breaking his right hand.

Riley was struck Sunday by a 97 mph fastball from Los Angeles Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz in the first inning of Atlanta’s 3-1 victory.

An MRI confirmed the fracture. Riley will miss 6 to 8 weeks, which knocks him out through the regular season and likely into the playoffs should the Braves qualify.

Atlanta held a two-game lead over the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot heading into a three-game series that begins Tuesday night against the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies.

The Braves have won six straight division titles, but that streak is in jeopardy after a rash of injuries left the team seven games behind the Phillies. A wild-card spot seems the most likely path to a seventh straight postseason appearance.

ASTROS: Justin Verlander is scheduled to come off the injured list and start the finale of a three-game series Wednesday against Boston.

“It’s big getting (Verlander) on the mound. It’s getting one of the best back in there,” Manager Joe Espada said. “We know what he means. We know he’s part of this winning culture and getting him back is a big boost for our team, especially down the stretch.”

Verlander, 41, hasn’t pitched since June 9 because of stiffness in his neck. He made two minor league rehabilitation starts, last throwing four innings Thursday for Double-A Corpus Christi.

GUARDIANS: Right-hander Alex Cobb was placed on the 15-day injured list with a broken nail.

Cobb has made two starts since being acquired in a July 30 trade from San Francisco.

Cobb got his first win in nearly a year last week, allowing one run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs. He didn’t pitch for the Giants after undergoing hip surgery in October.

ROYALS: Kansas City reinstated right-hander John Schreiber from the injured list and optioned fellow reliever Carlos Hernandez to Triple-A Omaha.

Schreiber, who is 3-3 with a 4.13 ERA, has been out since hurting the patellar tendon in his right knee while recording the third out of an inning July 28 against the Cubs. He was placed on the IL the following day.

Schreiber made two rehab appearances for Double-A Northwest Arkansas last week.

REDS: Cincinnati called up right-hander Julian Aguiar from Triple-A Louisville to make his major league debut Monday night at Toronto in place of the injured Hunter Greene.

Aguiar, who is Cincinnati’s 11th-ranked prospect according to Major League Baseball, was 5-4 with a 3.79 ERA in 22 starts at Triple-A. He was a 12-round draft pick in 2021.

Greene, who is 9-4 with a 2.83 ERA, was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday because of a sore elbow. He had Tommy John surgery in 2019.

DIAMONDBACKS: After avoiding the injured list for eight days as he played with a sprained left ankle, second baseman Ketel Marte was removed from the active roster.

The team placed Marte on the 10-day injured list before the start of a three-game series at Miami.

Marte first injured the ankle Aug. 10 against Philadelphia when Garrett Stubs slid into him.

PIRATES: Pittsburgh placed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list with lower back inflammation.

Hayes, a Gold Glove winner a year ago, has struggled to hit with power at the plate most of this season. He is batting .233 with four home runs and 25 RBI in 96 games this year. His .573 OPS is a career low and nearly 200 points below the .762 OPS he posted in 2023.