Going into spring training, the Atlanta Braves top prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. looked like an outside candidate to steal away the starting shortstop job from incumbant Orlando Arcia. That bid, however quickly ended when Alvarez hurt his wrist in the sixth game of spring training.
After disappearing for three months, the 22-year-old finally resurfaced and began his rehab assignment, quickly bouncing up to AAA to play for the Gwinnett Stripers. Three games into his rehab assignment, the Braves have seemingly made it clear what their plan is for their top hitting prospect.
Braves don't appear to have Nacho Alvarez Jr. saving the day at shortstop any time soon
The Atlanta Braves have been one of the worst teams in baseball in terms of offensive production out of the shortstop position. By wRC+, Atlanta ranks 28th in baseball from their shortstops. While Nick Allen's seen the bulk of the plate appearances, giving the Braves a paltry 63 wRC+ at short, Orlando Arcia's .445 OPS while playing short and Luke Williams' .414 OPS certainly have not helped.
Nick Allen has been one of the best defensive players in baseball, but it's clear the Braves desperately need more production offensively out of the shortstop spot, and Nacho Alvarez was one potential internal option to improve the spot from the plate.
While Alvarez's first cup of coffee was unimpressive, the infielder did slash .284/.391/.401 between Gwinnett and Mississippi as a 21-year-old in 2024. Like Allen, he's shown to be a light-hitting bat, but the righty did park 10 balls over the fence last year, which could indicate he'd be a potential upgrade from Allen, who has yet barreled the ball in nearly 200 plate appearances.
However, three games into Alvarez's rehab assignment, the Braves do not appear to be keen on replacing Allen with the 22-year-old at short. In 20 innings, Alvarez has only played third base, a position that currently does not have an opening, and likely won't for another seven seasons, with Austin Riley anchoring the position.
It's just a short sample, but Alvarez has put together a .667/.800/1.000 slashline in his first 10 plate appearances of the rehab, though his overall slash is being carried by a unsustainable 40% walk-rate.
MLB position players on the IL can rehab for a maximum of 20 days in the minor leagues. It's unclear whether the Braves intend to keep Alvarez on a rehab assignment for the full 20 days, but with the infielder only playing third base, it's clear that his likely destination after being activated will be in AAA unless an injury requires a third baseman in the bigs.
Meanwhile, it's clear that if the Braves are going to upgrade at shortstop this season, Nacho Alvarez Jr. won't be the player they turn to.