The Braves’ battered infield mix took another hit last night when second baseman Whit Merrifield fouled a pitch off his foot during last night’s win over Toronto. As manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) this evening, Merrifield was diagnosed with a fractured foot last night that was initially expected to keep him out of action for six to eight weeks. Fortunately, both club and player received great news when Merrifield was examined by a specialist today who told them that Merrifield was not at risk of worsening the injury by continuing to play. That’s made the issue a matter of pain tolerance, and Bowman went on to note that the Braves are hopeful the veteran will be able to return to the lineup next weekend when they face the Dodgers for a four-game set.
That’s great news for a Braves club that has been plagued by injury woes all throughout the year and is currently without both Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley as they nurse injuries of their own. Merrifield himself was brought into the fold after being released by the Phillies in order to help fill the void left by Albies when he suffered a wrist fracture back in July. He’s performed admirably as a fill-in since then, slashing a respectable .243/.359/.342 (103 wRC+) while walking at a 14.2% clip and going five for seven on the basepaths in 34 games with the Braves so far.
Once Merrifield is ready to take the field again, they’ll need him to continue acting as a stopgap option at the keystone at least for the time being. As noted by David O’Brien of The Athletic, Albies has been doing fielding drills and hitting from the right side but still feels discomfort when hitting lefty. Until that subsides, he won’t be cleared to move on to batting practice but could start a rehab assignment not long after being cleared to resume hitting. With Riley out until sometime during the postseason, Albies’s return could free Merrifield up to move to third base, where Gio Urshela’s 85 wRC+ in 15 games since taking over the club’s regular job at third base leaves something to be desired.
While Merrifield is unable to play, it seems likely that reserve infielder Luke Williams will get a look at second, though Snitker told reporters (including Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that Eli White and Ramon Laureano could also be infield options on a stopgap basis while Merrifield’s foot is too sore for him to play. Williams is the most experienced infielder of the group but sports a career wRC+ of just 56 in the majors, including a paltry .152/.243/.212 line (33 wRC+) in 33 games this year. White has only limited experience at second base in the majors but has hit fairly well in an extremely limited sample this year with a 120 wRC+ in just 26 plate appearances.
While Williams and White being considered as stopgap options at the keystone is hardly a surprise, the fact that Laureano is also being looked at as an option to play the infield for the Braves is something of a shock. An outfielder by trade, Laureano has slashed an excellent .299/.336/.500 (130 wRC+) in 49 games since joining the Braves earlier this year but has virtually no experience on the infield, with a single inning of time at first base in the minor leagues representing all of his experience on the dirt as a pro. The 30-year-old has also become a key part of the club’s outfield mix while platooning with Jarred Kelenic in left field, further complicating the possibility. In all likelihood, the club will probably be best served using some combination of White and Williams at second over the next week while Merrifield rests up and looks to return to the position next weekend.
One possibility that wasn’t mentioned by Snitker was top prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. The 21-year-old made his big league debut earlier this year with an eight-game cup of coffee but didn’t hit a lick in that brief stint as a big leaguer, going just 3-for-30 with ten strikeouts and no walks or extra base hits before he was sent back down to the minor leagues. Giving that lackluster performance in the big leagues and his relative lack of experience at the Triple-A level, it’s perhaps not a surprise that the club would prefer to avoid using Alvarez in the big leagues again this year as they continue to develop the youngster as their shortstop of the future.