Next Man Up: Braves' Options to Replace Austin Riley at Third Base

The Atlanta Braves can't seem to catch a break when it comes to injuries.

From just the position player group, only Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna have played in every game this season. Almost everyone else has missed some time, whether minimal (Jarred Kelenic missed two games with wrist discomfort, while Orlando Arcia missed a week with an abscessed tooth) or prolonged absences (Michael Harris II missed two months with a hamstring issue and Sean Murphy missed two months with an oblique issue, while Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL in May and will miss the rest of the season.)

And the injuries have come in waves, as well - Sean Murphy missed his two months at the beginning of the season, with Austin Riley missing multiple weeks with an intercostal strain at the same time. Right before they came back, Ronald Acuña Jr. was lost for the season to his ACL tear. Michael Harris II was lost for his hamstring issue soon after, and right before he returned, Ozzie Albies broke his wrist. Right after Harris returned, Jorge Soler suffered a minor hamstring strain and Austin Riley left last night's game with his wrist injury .

Riley's injury is the latest wrench in Atlanta's roster plans. The third baseman got an x-ray at Angel Stadium and a CT scan at a local facility, but the results were "inconclusive" and he's set to get an MRI from Braves doctors today.

If Riley ends up with a break and will miss extended time, there are not a lot of options to replace him at the moment. Let's look at the options to step into the third baseman's lineup spot from both within and outside the organization:

Option #1: Stay internal with Luke Williams

When Riley left last night's game, the player called on to fill in for him was utilityman Luke Williams .

Picked up last season after he was waived by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Williams has filled the final spot on the bench pretty consistently over the last two seasons. Getting in just 27 games during his Braves tenure with just seven starts, the team has used him at third, short, and left field (and he's pitched four innings, as well.)

The problem here is that it's a pretty low-ceiling option - Williams is currently 2-for-26 in his Atlanta career, with just the second of those hits coming last night.

Atlanta could always move players around, as well - Whit Merrifield has experience at third base and Williams might fare better at second.

Ultimately, Williams feels more like the guy you ask to fill in for the rest of that game or the final game of the road trip (prior to making a roster move when you get home) rather than for four or six weeks when a starter is out.

Probably not an option: Nacho Alvarez Jr.

One of Atlanta's top position player prospects, Nacho Alvarez was called up from Gwinnett to make his debut this season after Ozzie Albies broke his wrist against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Nacho struggled, however, going just 3-for-30 in his first MLB action. Once free agent signee Merrifield was healed from his freak finger injury on his first day with the team, Alvarez was sent back down to Gwinnett for more seasoning.

None of that precludes Atlanta from using Alvarez again, but we're not sure that he's currently healthy. Alvarez is not on Gwinnett's injured list, but has played just one game in the last eight days, coming on Wednesday the 14th against Norfolk. As one of the team's most promising position player prospects, the Braves (seemingly) wouldn't bench him without a good reason, so we're not currently sure if he's even an option at the moment.

Option #2: Make a 40-man move out of your Gwinnett depth

Whether or not the Braves choose to give the job to Luke Williams, they'll need to make a roster move to add to the major league bench.

There's several non-40-man options in Gwinnett that could come up and either play third base or cover the bench while Wiliams mans the role. Brian Anderson is the most experienced of these; the former Marlins and Brewers infielder actually got into three games for the team this season, going 0-5with two strikeouts while making two starts in right field and spending an inning at third base. He has 359 career starts at third base, although he's only playing there once a week for Gwinnett right now and is batting just .197 with a .533 OPS since being sent down in early July.

Other non-40-man options in Gwinnett include Alejo López and 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel . While Gurriel hasn't started at third base since 2019, he has played 24 innings at second base for Gwinnett this season and the team could always try him at second with Merrifield at third. While not helping the team's defense, this would get Gurriel's bat in the lineup. In a resurgent year at Gwinnett, the veteran is batting .300 with a .878 OPS for the Stripers.

Option #2.5: Give Zack Short another chance?

The Braves purchased Zack Short's contract from the Boston Red Sox back in May, making Atlanta the third team the infielder suited up for this season. He's covered third base (12 starts), shortstop (four starts), and second base (one start) this season, but was eventually DFA'd after batting just .148 with a .517 OPS in his 69 plate appearances.

But when there's not a lot of other options, Short could be added to the roster and re-installed at third base or used as the bench depth in the infield while Luke Williams plays every day.

Option #3: Do we see David Fletcher make his return?

In a completely unexpected situation, David Fletcher is being paid $6M to play second base and shortstop for Double-A Mississippi...and pitch once a week. The part-time knuckleballer is 3-4 with a 5.97 ERA for the M-Braves, an experiment that not many will miss if he's recalled to Atlanta to help out at the major league level.

Fletcher played in five games over the summer when Albies was on the injured list earlier this season, making three starts at second base and going 2-8. While he has 118 career starts at third base in his professional career, it's likely that he would man second while Merrifield kicks out to third base if the team went that direction.

Option #4: A possible waiver claim?

The Detroit Tigers are in the midst of a youth movement. With prospect Colt Keith having signed a pre-debut extension and manning second base most of the season, the Tigers have promoted several other position players in recent days to join him in Detroit - catcher Dillon Dingler , shortstop Trey Sweeney , and third baseman Jace Jung .

Those promotions have allowed them to move on from veteran Gio Urshela .

The former Yankees and Twins infielder was signed to a $1.5M deal last offseason to provide infield depth at a variety of positions for the Tigers, but in the midst of a lost season for Detroit and a .243 average, the Tigers are moving on from the 32-year-old. Having been DFA'd on Friday, he has cleared outright waivers and is on release waivers. If he is not claimed by any team, he's free to sign anywhere and the cost will only be a prorated portion of the major league minimum salary down the stretch.

Urshela was an above-average regular the last four seasons with the Twins and Yankees, batting .290/.336/.463 with 54 homers and putting up a 118 wRC+ with strong grades for his defense at third base.

Claiming or signing Urshela has the potential to be a similar move to the addition of Merrifield, who was released by Philly after batting just .199 with a .570 OPS but currently has a .236 average and .709 OPS with the Braves.

Related: Braves Offense Unluckiest in MLB, Data Scientist Claims