Braves sign former All-Star Whit Merrifield after crushing Ozzie Albies injury

The Braves wasted little time adding reinforcement after a major injury.

Atlanta signed recently released utilityman Whit Merrifield to a major league contract Monday, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.

The move came just a day after it was revealed that star second baseman Ozzie Albies broke his wrist against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday and will miss about eight weeks.

Merrifield, 35, played in 53 games with the NL East rival Phillies before the team released him on July 12.

The Phillies had signed the three-time All-Star to a one-year, $8 million contract during the offseason.

Phillies cut three-time All-Star Whit Merrifield in $8 million failure

In that stretch, the former Royal and Blue Jay hit just .199 with a 63 OPS+, netting -0.3 wins above replacement.

Last year in Toronto, Merrifield turned back the clock by hitting .272 with a .700 OPS while earning an All-Star nod.

The former ninth-round pick was a longtime iron man in Kansas City, appearing in a whopping 553 straight games for the Royals while posting six straight years with a batting average of at least .277.

Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Albies was in the midst of a solid, albeit not spectacular 2024.

Phillies sign three-time All-Star Whit Merrifield on one-year, $8 million deal

The two-time Silver Slugger is slashing .258/.310/.407 with only eight home runs in 90 games, a significant decline in power relative to his 33-homer season from a year before.

Following Albies’ injury, Atlanta inserted Zack Short at second base for the final inning of Sunday’s matchup, in which the Braves fell, 6-2.

Atlanta is also calling up prospect Nacho Alvarez to help the team’s beleaguered infield, according to multiple reports.

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Sitting at 54-44, the Braves are 8 ½ games behind the Phillies for first place in the NL East but occupy the NL’s top wild-card spot.

Albies’ injury is the latest in a season full of wounds for the Braves, who lost star Spencer Strider in April and reigning MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. due to an ACL tear in May, not to mention have been without outfielder Michael Harris II for over a month.

And left-hander Max Fried just hit the IL with a forearm issue.

With Albies sidelined for nearly two months, Atlanta could pursue another top second baseman — such as the Reds’ Jonathan India or the Rockies’ Brendan Rodgers — if aggressive general manager Alex Anthopolous wants a more surefire upgrade prior to the July 30 trade deadline.

The organization made a similar acquisition to Merrifield last year by adding infielder Nicky Lopez, who appeared in 25 games and posted a .703 OPS with 0.8 wins above replacement in his brief stint.

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