Riley back on Braves’ lineup card Wednesday,

Getting clear of the COVID- 19 protocols that have kept him out of sight — but not out of the mix — since last Thursday, Braves third baseman Austin Riley was in the lineup as expected for Wednesday night’s spring game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Riley’s uncertain status may have kept him out of the scheduled spring training games for the better part of the week, but he has not been lacking for work. As manager Brian Snitker noted, Riley hit during Max Fried’s five- inning simulated outing Tuesday and “got more at- bats than if he had played in the game.”

Given the lack of minor league and split- squad games this spring — another COVID- 19 concession — the Braves are getting much of their work done outside the regularly scheduled competition.

Sn it ker said these unseen intrasquad exercises have been surprisingly competitive. “It’s amazing, we’ve been doing ( the simulated outings) on the stadium field, and that adds a little something more than the back field.

I didn’t realize that until we’ve been doing it up there, it gets a tad competitive, which is good. Playing on that big diamond has something to do with it.”

One of the focal points of spring, Riley had appeared in six actual exhibition games entering Wednesday, going 5 for 14 with four strikeouts. Other notes from Wednesday: ■The Braves re assigned catcher Shea Langeliers to their minor league camp, leaving them with four catchers in camp. Langeliers ( No. 65) was one of MLB. com’s top 100 prospects among the Braves in camp. He and Drew Waters ( No. 22) both have been reassigned. Outfielder Cristian Pache ( No. 10) and starting pitcher Ian Anderson ( No. 34) remain.

■ All reports remain optimistic on the recovery of starting pitcher Mike Soroka from Achilles tendon surgery. The team’s opening- day starter in 2020 ruptured the tendon during his third start of that season while lunging off the mound to field a ground ball. While he’s said to be on track, perhaps, to pitch near the end of the season’s first month, there’s no word yet on whether he might make an appearance before the end of the Braves’ stay in Florida this month.

“That’s still kind of up in the air,” Snitker said Wednesday. “He’s checking all t he boxes, doing everything. I don’t know if the medical staff has decided that or not.”

■ The Braves have today off and are scheduled to host Minnesota on Friday evening. Ian Anderson ( nine strikeouts in 5⅓ innings, 5.06 ERA this spring) is scheduled to start.

CURTIS COMPTON/ CURTIS. COMPTON@ AJC. COM Infielder Austin Riley returned to the Braves’ lineup Wednesday but has had plenty of work outside of spring games.