4 possible routes the Braves can take to replace Freeman

Any injury hurts, no matter the team or the player. But when someone like Freddie Freeman goes down, the impact cuts deep. It's season-altering, and potentially even franchise-changing.

That's why the Atlanta Braves began sweating bullets after Freeman was hit in the wrist by an Aaron Loup pitch Wednesday night. On Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported Freeman suffered a fractured left wrist on the play, and is now expected to be out of action for at least eight weeks.

Atlanta will never be able to replace Freeman's MVP-caliber production - few teams, if any, could do that - but what makes this situation such a nightmare for the team is its complete lack of quality replacements waiting in the wings. This isn't to say Atlanta has a bad farm system; on the contrary, there's a lot of depth there. Just not at first base, where Freeman has the position on lockdown for the next decade.

As the Braves stare into the abyss of life without No. 5, here's a few possible routes they can take to replace Freeman at first base.

Internal: Double-A long shot

The best option among Braves prospects is a long shot at best. Joey Meneses, who was signed by the Braves out of Mexico in 2011, just turned 25 on May 6. He's currently at Double-A Mississippi, where he's hitting .275/.339/.385 in 122 plate appearances and has displayed a decent batting eye (11 walks to 19 strikeouts). But Meneses is not on the 40-man roster and his lack of power at a power-first position - just three homers this year, and no more than seven in any minor-league season - will hurt his case. Still, the rebuilding Braves were likely facing another losing season anyway, so why not give this kid a chance? Stranger things have happened.

Internal: Triple-A fill-ins

A Triple-A call-up is perhaps the likeliest scenario, but the options here aren't great. Matt Tuiasosopo has some big-league experience, most recently appearing in three games for Atlanta last year - but he's an outfielder by trade with limited first-base experience. He's also struggled at Gwinnett this year to a .594 OPS. Another Triple-A option could be well-traveled catcher/first baseman David Freitas, who's yet to reach the majors but is in the midst of his best career minor-league season (.358/.469/.472).

Internal: Infield shuffle

Third-base prospect Rio Ruiz made his big-league debut in September, but he's struggled to begin 2017 at Triple-A. Still, the Braves could shuffle their infield to give Ruiz an everyday shot at the hot corner by moving utility man Jace Peterson to first base (Ruiz was recalled Thursday after Freeman was officially placed on the DL). Like with Meneses, there's nothing to lose by giving this kid a chance to prove himself, and it may be easier to do it with Ruiz thanks to his big-league cup of coffee last season. Short of dropping top prospect Ozzie Albies - a natural shortstop and second baseman - into a corner-infield position he's never played to shoehorn him into the bigs, Ruiz makes the most sense if they choose to bring up a kid.

Free-agent options

A trade might be hard to come by, but there are a few stopgap options currently on the open market. Former AL MVP Justin Morneau is still looking for work; while he's now 36 and is coming off an injury-shortened season with the White Sox that prominently displayed his declining production, Morneau is still barely three years removed from a batting championship. There are worse options than asking Freeman's Canadian World Baseball Classic teammate to fill in for him.

James Loney is out there too. Loney was recently cut by the Tigers after a brief stay with their Triple-A affiliate. His 100-game appearance with the Mets last year was far from spectacular (.265/.307/.397, nine homers, minus-0.2 WAR), but that line might look better on a team without legitimate championship aspirations. Though not an excellent defender, Loney is the most stable defensive option among the three major free-agent candidates.

There's also Ryan Howard, of course, but since the Braves released him after an awful performance with their Triple-A club just last week, the likelihood of a reunion is slim to none.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)