The Braves are expected to promote infield prospect Nacho Alvarez to the majors after second baseman Ozzie Albies suffered a left-wrist fracture that will sideline him for approximately eight weeks.
Alvarez, 21, has played shortstop in the minors, but the Braves would play him at second base and keep Orlando Arcia entrenched at shortstop, according to a person familiar with the situation. Arcia, who has experience playing all around the field, has done an excellent job defensively despite his offensive struggles.
It’s been a breakout season for Alvarez in the minors, where he’s found success in Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. In the highest minor-league level, he’s hit .336/.432/.575 with seven homers, six doubles and 24 RBIs in 28 games.
Baseball America rated Alvarez the Braves’ No. 8 prospect, though he’s been ascending all season and could justify a better ranking. Alvarez is among the club’s best position player prospects. The Braves selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB draft out of Riverside City College, the same school once attended by veteran Braves reliever Jesse Chavez.
Here is Baseball America’s scouting report for Alvarez:
“Despite a swing with a lot of moving parts, Alvarez has arguably the best pure bat-to-ball skills in Atlanta’s system. He has a high handset with lots of bat waggle, a toe tap that coincides with a hand push in his load before taking another step in his lower half and firing his hands with a level path through the zone. Alvarez chased a bit more against High-A pitching but still has a keen batting eye and strong swing decisions. He rarely misses within the strike zone, but is a hit-over-power offensive profile who might have more doubles power than home run juice.
“Alvarez has fine exit velocity data for his age--an 87.8 mph average and 102.2 mph 90th percentile mark--but he has limited physical projection with a filled-out frame. Alvarez turns in fringe-average run times, but his foot speed and range are his biggest defensive questions. He’s sure-handed on the balls he gets to at shortstop with above-average arm strength, but most external scouts view him as a corner infielder.”
The Braves begin a three-game series Monday against the Reds at Truist Park.
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