For a while, it appeared as though Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies had turned back the clock. Albies looked like he had found his swing again, and his first-half performance earned him his fourth All-Star appearance. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as though those improvements were ever going to stick, and now we all have to wonder exactly how much longer the Braves will keep Albies around.
Albies has always been streaky, but the last few years have been a different level of infuriating. While he has certainly shown flashes, injuries and age have definitely caught up with Albies, to the point where his defense and base-running have become afterthoughts. That would be okay if he was still hitting, but averaging .685 OPS the previous two seasons with declining speed and defense is not where you want to be.
That is what made Albies' early performance so exciting and, in some ways, surprising. Unfortunately, Albies is once again mired in a prolonged slump, and now it is fair to think about exactly how the Braves will handle what looks like his inevitable exit.
Ozzie Albies' latest slump may force the Braves to accelerate the transition to a new second baseman
Before we go any further, the odds are very good Atlanta will exercise Albies' final contract option. Even if the Braves decide to move on from Albies in the next 12 or so months, his contract option is so cheap at $7 million that it would be foolish not to pick it up. Doing so maintains his trade value and gives the Braves several paths as to how to handle second base without committing too hard in any direction.
That said, the numbers are not encouraging right now. Since August 1 (which is a sample size of 34 games and 137 plate appearances), Albies has only managed a .205/.277/.320 line with just three homers, two stolen bases, and eight extra-base hits overall. After being a key cog in the Braves' offense earlier in the year, it appears as though Albies has reverted to the poor form he showed in 2024 and 2025 without a specific injury to point to blame for it this time.
It may be hard to believe given that it seems like Albies debuted just a year or two ago, but he is almost 30 years old and has almost 1,200 games and a slew of injuries on his ledger. As fun as his resurgence was earlier this season, it was probably foolish to think that Albies was just back to his old self again. We can fully expect the Braves to exercise their option at year's end, but it doesn't feel unlikely that we could see his name come up in trade rumors again ahead of the lockout, and the odds that the Braves will keep him around at all past 2027 are diminishing by the day. For many Braves fans, that day will feel like the end of an era, but that doesn't mean they would be wrong to do it.
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