In a season dimmed by inconsistencies and injuries, the Atlanta Braves are awaiting a highly anticipated debut from one of this year’s biggest organizational bright spots: Infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr., who was promoted to the MLB on Sunday night.

Alvarez is Atlanta’s immediate replacement for second baseman Ozzie Albies, who fractured his left wrist Sunday afternoon and will miss approximately eight weeks.

So, who is Alvarez? Here’s what to know as he debuts Monday inside Truist Park against the Cincinnati Reds …

In Nacho His Real Name?

No — “Nacho” is short for Ignacio.

Alvarez’s Minor League Production Led to Quick Rise Through System

A fifth-round pick in 2022 out of Riverside Community College in California, Alvarez has done nothing but tear the cover off the ball since entering Atlanta’s system.

Playing for the FCL Braves and Augusta GreenJackets in 2022, Alvarez hit a combined .287 while accumulating a .451 on-base percentage. He added one home run, 11 runs batted in and 25 runs scored across 30 games.

Alvarez spent the entirety of the 2023 season with the Rome Emperors in Class A-Advanced. He hit .284 with seven homers, 66 RBIs and 62 runs scored in 116 games. He continued reaching base at a high level, finishing with a .395 OBP.

The 21-year-old Alvarez started this year at Double-A Mississippi, playing 48 games and recording 45 hits, 16 steals and 15 RBIs. He was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett in mid-June and, over the next 28 games, had his best stretch in the minors.

While in Gwinnett, Alvarez experienced a power surge, hitting seven home runs while continuing to reach base at a good clip, batting .336 with a .432 on-base percentage in 113 at bats.

Thus, he’s arriving in Atlanta swinging a confident, scorching hot bat.

Alvarez is One of Atlanta’s Top Prospects

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Alvarez is the Braves’ No. 5 prospect overall and No. 1 position player, according to MLB.Com. Here’s the scouting report on Alvarez …

“A right-handed hitter, Alvarez has very impressive bat-to-ball skills, striking out in just 17.4 percent of his plate appearances at age 20 in High-A in 2023,” MLB.Com writes. “He has an advanced approach and draws plenty of walks (13.2 percent last year), giving him the chance to be a very good hitter with quick hands at the plate.

“He is capable of making hard contact, but he hits the ball on the ground too frequently, especially to his pull side. How he adjusts to better pitching and learns to drive the ball will determine his ultimate offensive profile.”

How Experienced is Alvarez at Second Base?

Alvarez has a defensive background rooted in several positions. He played second base for three years in high school and said Monday afternoon in the Braves’ locker room he quickly felt comfortable when taking ground balls during pre-game warmups.

In community college, Alvarez played third base, but the Braves wanted to see him at shortstop – and he thrived.

“It’s turned out he’s looked very good, even being mentioned as one of the best defenders in the minors by executives from other teams,” writes MLB.Com. “If he can stay there long-term, that increases his value and puts a little less pressure on him to become a run-producer, and there’s definitely an up arrow next to his name.”

Alvarez and … Yunel Escobar?

Even before Monday night’s first pitch, Alvarez turned heads, as the Braves’ lineup has him penciled in at second in the order. According to The Athletic, Alvarez is the first Braves player since Yunel Escobar in 2007 to bat in the two-hole in their MLB debut.

Escobar enjoyed a successful debut, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. It set the tone for a strong rookie season that ended with a sixth-place finish in rookie of the year voting despite playing just 94 games, and on a bigger scale, paved the way for an 11-year career at the sport’s highest level.

At least in one way, Alvarez is starting in the same place as Escobar – and only time will tell whether he’ll have similar longevity and success.

ATLANTA – Buckhead Restaurant Week: 

More than 30 of Buckhead’s hottest restaurants are joining forces this week to highlight the Atlanta neighborhood’s diverse culinary scene.

Buckhead Restaurant Week — presented by the nonprofit Livable Buckhead — launches on Monday and continues through Saturday, July 27, featuring a lineup of top eateries including Kyma, Louisiana Bistreaux, South City Kitchen, and Beto’s Tacos. 

Throughout the week, participating restaurants will feature specially-curated menus from which patrons may order, highlighting both lunch and dinner fan-favorites and offering a “taste” of what makes each spot so special. 

Organizers say the goal in resurrecting Buckhead Restaurant Week for the first time in nearly a decade is to highlight both new additions to the area food scene and to re-introduce longtime staples. And with a lineup including Fadó Irish Pub, Snap Thai Fish House, Davio’s Northern Italian Streakhouse, and Zakia Modern Lebanese Restaurant, organizers also say it’s possible to do a little “summer globe-trotting” without ever leaving the community.

For a full list of participating restaurants, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our delicious morning in Buckhead, hopping from restaurant to restaurant and getting a first “taste” of the big event! 

The three restaurants featured on Good Day Atlanta this morning were: The Americano, Ecco, and Le Colonial Atlanta.

Dr. Neil Winawer gives the latest in health headlines: The number of COVID cases have been surging this summer with a new group of variants known collectively as FLiRT now being responsible for the majority of cases. Emory Univeristy’s Dr. Neil Winawer takes a look at the new variants.

Vacation vs work vacation : Georgia Gwinnett College’s psychology professor Dr. David Ludden says that a lot of vacations have become work vacations for many Americans.

April B. and Shenelle Simone dish on the latest in entertainment headlines: Cardi B’s album may be pushed back, and Megan Thee Stallion is helping the elderly after Hurricane Beryl. April B and Shenelle SImone of the Flew Here Grew Here Podcast have the information. Follow them on social @FHGHPodcast

Once again, the Braves experienced their struggles during an actual game on a Sunday, as they suffered a 6-2 loss to the Cardinals. The result was plenty significant as the Cardinals won two out of three games over the past two days, thus gaining a game in the standings on the Braves for the top NL Wild Card Spot.

Unfortunately, that was far from the worst news of the day. Early on Sunday, Dylan Dodd was recalled to Atlanta as Max Fried was placed on the injured list with left forearm neuritis. With the news being unexpected and the fact that Max Fried had missed the majority of his 2023 season with forearm issues, there was plenty of reason for immediate concern. However, while a specific recovery time is not known, the reaction from Fried and Brian Snitker seems positive, as an MRI revealed no structural damage and the Braves are hoping he can return to the mound soon.

As Sunday’s game was coming to an end, second baseman Ozzie Albies left in obvious pain due to injuring his wrist. It seemed pretty certain that the injury was significant, as Brian Sniter indicated after the game. The end result was a broken left wrist, with the hope that Albies can return in eight weeks.

Overall, this particular Sunday was pretty devastating for the Braves. While it does seem realistic we will see Fried and Albies again at some point this year, it is uncertain as of now how much they will be able to contribute over the home stretch of the season or how long injury concerns will linger. What is clear is that the Braves will have plenty of questions to answer in the coming days and weeks to fill big holes in their lineup and rotation. Furthermore, the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline just became a lot more interesting from a Braves perspective.

Braves News

One immediate move that Atlanta will reportedly make in response to the injury to Albies is promoting top positional prospect Nacho Alvarez to Atlanta. Alvarez has been highly impressive at the plate for weeks in Gwinnett, so the Braves are hoping he can provide an immediate spark to the lineup.

Atlanta will have to put all the negative news from Sunday in the rearview mirror as they welcome the Reds to town for a three game series. It will be a series the Braves need and should win, especially with Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez pitching.

Atlanta continued to make progress toward signing the entirety of its 2024 MLB draft class.

One impressive positive from Sunday was that 2023 Braves draft pick Drue Hacknenberg produced 16 strikeouts over seven innings for Double-A Mississippi.

For the AJC, Justin Toscano discussed Max Fried’s comments on his injury as Gabe Burns provided more details on Albies.

David Obrien of the Athletic highlighted Fried’s frustration that he will have to miss time, plus more on the injury to Albies and the arrival of Alvarez.

MLB News

Shohei Ohtani was at it again, hitting one of the longest home runs in the history of Dodger Stadium.

The Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed four new members on Sunday, including Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer.

Yordan Alvarez hit for the cycle in the Astros loss to the Mariners in a big AL West battle. For the Mariners, initial reports were positive on the injured ankle of Julio Rodríguez.

The Phillies beat the Pirates 6-0 while the Marlins beat the Mets on Sunday.

Both the Dodgers and the Orioles are pursuing Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in trade talks, as multiple reports are now suggesting the interest of both contenders.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is starting to ramp up his efforts to try and return from injury this season for the Dodgers.

The Mariners placed Ty France on waivers on Sunday.

White Sox starter Eric Fedde could be a trade target for the Cardinals.

Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw will return this week for the Dodgers.