Braves lineup includes shocking placement for top talent’s debut

There is no way to test Nacho Alvarez Jr. The Atlanta Braves need something, anything, to revive their good but underperforming baseball club.

That’s why captain Brian Snitker has moved one of the team’s top prospects to the No. 2 position and put him at second base right from the start. He’s played mostly shortstop in the minor leagues, but Atlanta needs him at second base.

When second baseman Ozzie Albies broke his wrist trying to tag the St. Louis Cardinals late in Sunday’s series loss at home, Atlanta responded quickly by bringing its star minor-league center fielder into the fold. A fifth-round pick out of Riverside City College in the 2022 MLB Draft, Alvarez has been on a rapid rise since being drafted two years ago.

Alvarez began the season at Double-A Mississippi where he hit .265/.381/.312 with 15 runs batted in 48 games. He was then called up to Triple-A Gwinnett where he has since gone on an offensive tear. In 28 games for the Stripers, Alvarez is hitting .336/.432/.575 with seven home runs and 24 runs batted in. It was only a matter of time before he would make his big league debut.

As the Braves’ official social media account shared via X, this is Nacho’s normal lineup.

Alvarez will play the match between lead-off man Jarred Kelenic and Austin Riley on the third hole on Monday.

Kelenic, Alvarez and Riley will line up at center, second and third right out of the gate. Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson and Adam Duvall will bat fourth through sixth, at DH, first base and right field, respectively. Eddie Rosario, Sean Murphy and Orlando Arcia round out the batting order in left, behind the plate and at shortstop, respectively, with All-Star Reynaldo Lopez getting the start for the Braves.

What Alvarez’s ascension to the big leagues indicates is that the Braves aren’t going to trade him. There may be other, more coveted prospects in their farm system, but he has a chance to be the center of their infield that Michael Harris II has been at times. The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year has been terrific at times, but has struggled with injuries at running back the past two seasons.

To be fair, Alvarez’s promotion actually does a great job of obscuring the fact that both Albies and All-Star starting pitcher Max Fried are now on the shelf. Albies will be out until the end of the regular season, while Fried may only be out for two weeks recovering from his forearm nerve issue. All I know is that Alvarez’s debut is long overdue. Welcome to the show!

Perhaps he can spark the spark at the top of this squad, a team in dire need of something.