Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley exited Friday’s game against St. Louis early, a move that sent fans into a panic given the timing around the MLB trade deadline.

Somehow, the news that Riley suffered an abdominal injury felt like good news after that initial panic. However, the injury will now land the Braves star on the 10-day IL.

That’s not what Atlanta needs at all right now, but the corresponding move could push another infielder, Ozzie Albies, off the 2026 roster.

With Riley hitting the IL with what the Braves are calling a “strained right abdomen”, Atlanta is calling up the No. 3 prospect in the organization, Nacho Alvarez Jr., to help fill out the infield depth.

In the same flurry of moves, the team also optioned Nathan Wiles back to Triple-A while giving Joey Wentz a spot in the pitching staff. But it’s Alvarez that should have Albies a bit concerned about his long-term job security.

We’ll likely see either utility man Luke Williams or defensive wizard Nick Allen slot in at third base for Riley with the injury, which would, in turn, push Alvarez to shortstop.

However, there are some who believe that his more immediate future and help for the Braves might simply be outright replacing Albies at second base given the veteran’s struggles — and a potential out for Alex Anthopoulos and Atlanta this offseason.

Braves need to give Nacho Alvarez Jr. a chance to replace Ozzie Albies

When Albies signed a seven-year, $35 million deal with the Braves in 2019, it looked like one of the best contracts in baseball. That continued for several more years.

However, the second baseman’s struggles this season have sparked fans wondering if the Braves should exercise the $7 million club option on the deal this offseason, even if not doing so would mean paying a $4 million buyout.

In 93 games this season, Albies has been a decisive negative at the plate. He’s hitting a career-worst .219 with another career-worst in OPS (.609). He’s fallen off dramatically from his All-Star 2023 campaign when he posted an .849 OPS with 33 homers and 30 doubles on the year. And again, fans are now wondering if the Braves should simply cut ties.

Now, it’s worth noting that there’s no guarantee that the 22-year-old Alvarez will be able to fully push out Albies, at least based on his limited sample size in the majors to this point.

The No. 3 prospect in the organization spent eight games in Atlanta last season, but wen’t just 3-for-30 with 10 strikeouts and no extra-base hits. Having said that, after returning from an injury earlier this year, he dominated Triple-A across 11 games with a 1.058 OPS after hitting a home run, three doubles and walking nine times to only five strikeouts.

More importantly, though, the Braves believe firmly that Alvarez is part of their future. But the question now becomes if that future is at shortstop or second base.

If he can come in and live up to his potential in Atlanta with Riley out of action, it wouldn’t be far-fetched for the Braves to consider using him to replace Albies next season, get out from that contract, and then try to invest in someone like a Bo Bichette if he is readily available in free agency, or another option, at shortstop.

In any case, the Riley injury is just another chapter in what’s been a nightmarish Braves season. There remains hope for the future, though, but the next few weeks could determine whether or not that future includes Albies or Alvarez at second base.