Atlanta Braves Ozzie Albies Takes Step Towards Return

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies took a step forward in rehab. According to Braves beat writer for The Athletic David O’Brien, Albies will begin to get work in the field starting Tuesday. 

“Ozzie Albies will begin doing some fielding today,” https://x.com/DOBrienATL/status/1831065911413109127. “Hasn’t been cleared to take batting practice, but he’s been swinging [the] bat some in the cage. Sunday will be 6-week mark. He said still going on initial 6-8 week prognosis, but he’ll need a rehab assignment before return.”

It’s been almost six weeks since Albies suffered a left wrist fracture in an attempt to tag a runner trying to steal second base. Following X-rays, it was revealed he would miss around eight weeks. If he’s back around the eight-week mark, he would return with about two weeks left in the season. 

He still needs to go through a rehab assignment. If we’re basing it off Michael Harris’s stint, it’ll be about a week. Harris played a six-game series with the Stripers before returning to the Braves. However, that’s without any setbacks and that’s assuming he will start one in a week. Keep in mind that he’s not cleared to take batting practice yet. 

Even if it takes more than eight weeks, there’s no indication he won’t be ready for the postseason if the Braves can hang on. The postseason starts in just under 30 days. 

Before his injury, Albies was batting .258 with a .717 OPS with eight home runs and 47 RBIs in 90 games. He wasn’t quite at the level he was in 2023 when he made his fourth all-star team and received MVP votes, but when players had been following victim to the injury bug all season, they didn’t need to lose one of their mainstays too. 

They tried to plug in prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. to fill in for Albies, but it didn’t work out. Fortunately for the Braves, Whit Merrifield was available to be signed and fill the role at a serviceable level. He has played 31 games at second base in Albies’s absence.