On Tuesday, Ozzie Albies began an abbreviated rehab assignment with the Gwinnett Stripers in Jacksonville, and it only took one game for him to hit his first homer since fracturing his wrist two months ago. The Braves second baseman finished Tuesday night’s contest with two hits in three at-bats with a walk, and he followed it up on Wednesday night with a couple of more base knocks.
In total, Albies went 4-for-8 with a homer and a walk in nine plate appearances for the Stripers. The initial hope was that he could potentially rejoin the team on Friday in Miami, and all signs point to that happening. He should be starting at second base for the Braves tomorrow night, but something everyone will be keeping an eye on is his performance against right-handed pitching.
Ozzie Albies has been a switch-hitter his entire career, but the wrist is still not feeling comfortable when swinging from the left side. If there weren’t just 10 games remaining in the season, he probably wouldn’t even be playing. However, he does feel comfortable from the right side and has opted to give it go swinging just right-handed in hopes of helping the Braves to the postseason.
Of course, the initial reaction by most Braves is going to be, “Ozzie is a natural right-handed hitter. This shouldn’t be a problem at all.” They are correct in that Albies has tormented left-handed pitching from the right side, boasting a .339 average with a .932 OPS over his career, compared to a .247 average with a .747 OPS when hitting left-handed.
With that being said, Albies has only hit off left-handed pitching when batting right-handed. It’s a much different challenge going right on right, especially when he’s never done it before. It doesn’t mean he can’t have success, but as Mark Bowman notes, we should learn pretty quickly if it’s something Albies can handle.
Albies will see primarily right-handed pitchers this weekend. Marlins are expected to start RHs in the first two games. LHP Braxton Garrett could come off the IL to start Sunday. Miami currently has just one LH reliever. Albies went 2-for-5 while facing all RHs in JAX last night
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 19, 2024
—
Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.