The Atlanta Braves have had to depend heavily on their depth this season as there have been injuries to major players all season long. Just as one example, Austin Riley suffered an abdominal injury twice, and the last one required surgery and ended his season.

This allowed Braves prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. to get more playing time at the big league level. His debut with Atlanta in 2024 didn’t quite go as well as he would have liked. We are sure he was chomping at the bit to make a better impression this time around.

Alvarez has been a little better, but still not as big an impact as he’d like to be. Alvarez is slashing .237/.315/.307 over 114 at-bats with eight doubles, seven RBI, nine walks, 34 strikeouts, and a 78 wRC+.

His defense has been serviceable with a 1 OAA and 6 DRS. Alvarez is good enough to get the job done for the rest of the season. His offense leaves a lot to be desired, and that has his future in jeopardy.

Nacho Alvarez Jr.’s role with the Braves going forward is anything but certain

Austin Riley will be back for the start of next season, and that means Alvarez lacks a spot to play. Should the Braves surprise everyone and let Ozzie Albies walk at the end of this season, he could have a spot at second base. However, his light hitting wouldn’t make him much of an upgrade there.

The only true spot for him would be at shortstop, but his lack of depth defensively wouldn’t make him much of an upgrade over Nick Allen. Atlanta really needs to get a solid shortstop either via trade or free agency.

If Alvarez were hitting better this season, he’d be a favorable option for next season. That isn’t the case, and it feels more likely that he will be in Triple-A again next season. He’s still young, and there’s a lot of room to develop. The Braves aren’t likely give up on him just yet, unless he is dealt in a trade to help improve the roster.