Braves call up No. 5 prospect Nacho Alvarez after Ozzie Albies’ injury

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — With Ozzie Albies expected to miss up to eight weeks, the Atlanta Braves are calling up reinforcements.

On Sunday, Albies fractured his left wrist in the Braves loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. On Monday, the team announced that it has added infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. to the major league roster.

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MLB.com ranks Alvarez as the Braves No. 5 overall prospect and its top position player prospect. Atlanta drafted the infielder with the No. 155 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

Throughout a split season with AAA Gwinnett Stripers and AA Mississippi Braves, Alvarez is hitting a .293 batting average with seven home runs and 39 runs batted in.

Atlanta isn’t a stranger this season to calling up its prospects. Pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep made their MLB debuts earlier this year.

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The Braves will announce their starting lineup for the series opener against the Cincinnati Reds later on Monday.

But you can expect Alvarez to make an appearance at either second base for Albies or shortstop if the Braves decide to move Orlando Arcia over to second base.

The Braves also signed infielder Whit Merrifield to a major league contract. To make room for Merrifield, the team sent outfielder Eli White down to the Stripers and designated outfielder Forrest Wall for assignment.

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