The Atlanta Braves’ offense continues to sputter along. Some days it looks good enough to be a contender for the World Series. Other days it looks like it could get swept in three games in the first round.

There is no doubt the pitching is strong. Sure, closer Billy Wagner has not looked as sharp since the All-Star break. But he’s still better than any closer that the Braves have had not named John Smoltz in recent years.

If the Braves are going to do anything special the next two months, the offense has to be productive and consistent. It has to be as dangerous as it was in May and early June, when the team got on track and took control of first place in the NL East.

In many ways, the offense has centered around first baseman Troy Glaus all season. It has survived the demise of Nate McLouth, and while third baseman Chipper Jones has been mediocre, the ability to plug in Brooks Conrad and Omar Infante has made that less than a problem area on the roster.

The Braves brought Glaus in to be a right-handed power hitter, and they had reason to believe he would fill the role very well. In seven of his previous 11 seasons in the big leagues that Glaus has played in 149 games or more per season, he averaged 35.5 home runs.

That’s a power hitter. And the Braves really haven’t had a true right-handed power hitter since Gary Sheffield, who has been gone since 2003.

Glaus’ season can really be split into three separate parts. He started the season slow, hitting only .194 in April with two home runs and nine RBI.

Starting in May, Glaus got on track. Most believed he simply needed more time to get going since he had missed so much time last season. From May 1 through June 13, Glaus hit .336 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI.

Heck, some were even mentioning Glaus as an MVP candidate in mid-June, and rightfully so. He was one of the league leaders in RBI, and there was no doubt his impact on the lineup made a huge difference in getting the Braves on track after a horrendous nine-game losing streak in late April.

But since June 15, Glaus has been awful. He has hit only .167 (24 hits in 144 at-bats) with one home run and 14 RBI.

That’s not a slump. A slump may be a two-week dry spell. That’s not even a bad month. That’s 48 games, almost one-third of a full season, when Glaus has been Greg Norton-like.

Glaus is not only looking bad at the plate, but he looks bad just walking around. He’s a big man, and he’s obviously having trouble with his knees. Glaus can barely run to first base. He’s hustling, but you can tell it just hurts. If the Braves didn’t have an alternative, there would be little they could do to improve the position. But they do have someone else they can turn to who would be better than Glaus.

He’s Freddie Freeman, currently the first baseman for Triple-A Gwinnett. Freeman turns 21 next month, but despite his youth he has been outstanding this season.

Freeman is hitting .306 with 15 home runs and 71 RBI in 376 at-bats. His best friend is Jason Heyward. They were the two youngest players selected in the 2007 amateur draft. They knew each other from showcases in high school, played together through last season in the minors and are roommates in Atlanta to this day.

Freeman is a Ryan Klesko-type player at the plate with better defense at first base. Freeman has better pure power than Heyward. One Braves scout said at the time of the draft , “Heyward might win a batting title one day, but Freeman might win a home run title.”

There is a risk in bringing a young player up for a pennant race. But there is no doubt Freeman is the future at first base for Atlanta. And could he really be any worse than what Glaus has done the past eight weeks?

Expect Freeman to be brought up soon. Who knows if the Braves will just release Glaus or put him on the disabled list to let him rest up for the final month of the season.

The Braves can’t win in October with Glaus hitting .167, and Freeman will at least give them a fighting chance.

Join Bill Monday-Friday afternoons for “The Bill Shanks Show” on Fox Sports 1670 AM in Macon and online at www.foxsports1670.com.