What happens to the Atlanta Braves if Ozzie Albies has to go on the injured list?

The Braves 2nd baseman is slated to miss his first game of the season owing to soreness in the hamstring that caused him to leave Sunday's game

Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies, who left Sunday night's contest versus the Mets in the eighth inning with what the team called "cramping" is his hamstring, is out of the lineup for Monday's series opener against the New York Yankees. Infielder Nicky Lopez, acquired at the trade deadline from the Kansas City Royals, is playing 2nd base and batting 9th. 

Per reports, some testing is planned to make sure Ozzie's lingering soreness is just that - soreness. But if Albies ends up need an injured list stint, there are some down the line ramifications of his absence:

Defense

Believe it or not, Atlanta's infield defense may get better without Ozzie in the lineup. 

Not that he's bad, mind you - Ozzie makes all the plays he needs to make at second base. But his replacement, Nicky Lopez, was the MLB leader in Outs Above Average from 2021 through the time of the trade. His 26 Outs Above Average, while playing a combination of second, short, and third, means that Atlanta has the security of knowing that the infield defense will be intact - or possibly even improved - if he needs to enter the lineup for a prolonged stretch.

Offense

Replacing Ozzie's offense is more of a question. Lopez is two years removed from batting .300, in 2021, but comes into Monday's game batting just .229 in his 166 at-bats in 2023, all but six of those with Kansas City. 

The six at-bats for Lopez as a member of the Braves, though, were memorable. Lopez went 4-6 with four runs scored, a double, and a homerun with five RBIs against the Mets on Saturday, starting game one of the doubleheader at shortstop in place of Orlando Arcia, getting his first rest day since returning from his wrist injury on May 7th. 

Atlanta's batting Lopez at the #9 spot in the order for Monday night's matchup against the Yankees, and have elevated Michael Harris II to the #2 spot in the order. 

He doesn't have the switch-hitting ability of Ozzie, but Harris is batting an almost identical .288 against righties and .286 against lefties this season. While he may not have the power output of Albies - Harris has 11 home runs in 95 games this season and 30 in his career 209 games - he also brings a stolen base element that hasn't been as prominent in Albies' game in recent years. 

Roster construction

There's also an interesting question about how Atlanta adjusts the roster if Ozzie misses any time. Bringing in another backup infielder is expected, and the choice may give Atlanta some additional flexibility. 

Charlie Culberson

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Veteran Charlie Culberson would presumably be the first call for Atlanta. the 34 year-old has spent over six weeks on the MLB roster for Atlanta already, while playing in only one game in a pinch-hit capacity. He would give Atlanta competent, if unspectacular, defense at all four spots across the diamond. 

Braden Shewmake

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

If you wanted to go the Culberson route of "steady defender who doesn't play much", Shewmake would be another option. A true shortstop that has been cross-training at second base for Triple-A Gwinnett, he gives you the same element as Culberson - steady defense - without much at the plate. 

He was on the roster earlier on the season and played very little, but didn't look overwhelmed in the field when he was out there. 

Vaughn Grissom

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Here's the wild card. Grissom, who has been electric for AAA Gwinnett, doesn't bring you the same element defensively as Culberson and Shewmake. 

But he can hit. 

And if Nicky Lopez and Orlando Arcia are your two infielders, why not have an offensive threat that could pinch-hit late for Lopez and fill in capably at second base. 

You'd still need to make another option at shortstop in Lopez if you lost Arcia for some reason, and he has by far the biggest upside of the three players at the plate. 

We don't know how Ozzie's testing will go, but if it doesn't go well, there's definitely an option for Atlanta to make the bench a bit more dynamic offensively as well as getting a fan favorite back to Atlanta.

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