Injury-riddled Braves left with few options at third base down stretch

There’s been no such thing as an “everyday player” for the Atlanta Braves this season.

Nearly every position player on the roster has been sidelined with an ailment at some point in the year, most notably Michael Harris II, Sean Murphy, and former Most Valuable Player Ronald Acuna Jr.

Sunday night the Braves suffered their latest blow as third baseman Austin Riley had to leave their game against the Los Angeles Angels after being hit in the wrist by a pitch.

This isn’t Riley’s first bout with an injury, as he missed two weeks earlier in the season with a strained oblique muscle.

His status remains in the air, though manager Brian Snitker told reporters that X-Ray and CT scan results were “inconclusive.” Riley will get an MRI from Braves team doctors today.

According to Athlon Sports’ Lindsay Crosby, the Braves don’t have many options , either inside or outside the organization, to replace Riley if he’s out for an extended period.

Luke Williams was first off the bench against the Angels, though he has appeared in just 27 games with seven starts for Atlanta in almost two seasons. Williams hasn’t been much more than a utility player, posting a .118 batting average with the Braves, and has only two hits in 17 at-bats this year.

The Braves may have to look to one of their top prospects, Nacho Alvarez, though Alvarez struggled mightily when he was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett after Ozzie Albies broke his wrist, going 3-for-30. However, he may be dealing with an injury, having played in only one game in the last eight days.

Other non-40-man options in the minors include journeyman Brian Anderson, who has 359 career starts at the hot corner, Alejo Lopez, and 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel. While Gurriel hasn’t made a start at third base in almost five years, he still has a solid bat, posting a .300 average and .878 OPS for the Gwinnett Stripers.

If the Braves look outside the organization they could target Gio Urshela, who was recently released by the Detroit Tigers. Urshela wouldn’t come with a hefty price tag, and before his drop-off with the Tigers, he was one of the most consistent third basemen in the game.

Between 2019 and 2023 Urshela slashed .291/.452/.787 with 56 home runs, 241 RBI, and 222 runs scored.

Atlanta expects to get healthy at some point, but this latest blow could impact their efforts to hold on to the third Wild Card spot in the National League.

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