Ozzie Albies DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

With the Atlanta Braves looking to shake things up on Wednesday against the hosting Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium after starting the year 0-6, second baseman Ozzie Albies will move up to the leadoff spot to face left-hander Blake Snell. It will be Albies' first time batting leadoff in the early going for the struggling Braves, but he could occupy the spot more often moving forward with outfielder Jurickson Profar suspended 80 games for PEDs. Like most of the rest of the Braves hitters so far in 2025, the switch-hitting Albies has been cold at the plate early on, as the three-time All-Star heads into Wednesday's contest with a .136 average (3-for-22) with a homer, three RBI, two walks and three strikeouts in 24 trips to the plate over six games. Albies has hit .143 in his career against Snell in a small sample size of seven at-bats.

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (wrist) will return from the 10-day injured list on Friday in time for the team's series opener in Miami against the division-rival Marlins. Because Albies was still dealing with discomfort in his wrist when swinging from the left side, the switch-hitting infielder is going to hit exclusively from the right side upon his return to the big leagues. The 27-year-old is recovered from a fractured left wrist that he suffered at the end of July. Because of all the time that Albies has missed and the fact that he isn't 100 percent, the Braves could choose to ease him into the lineup and could even have him platoon at the keystone with Whit Merrifield as the team looks to get back into a wild-card spot in the National League. Albies was hitting .258/.310/.407 with eight home runs, 46 RBI and eight steals in 361 at-bats before injuries his wrist this summer.

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (wrist) could begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday and rejoin the big-league roster this weekend. Once Albies returns, it would make sense to move utility man Whit Merrifield to left field. Moving him to third base is also an option, but infielder Gio Urshela's glove at the hot corner provides a lot of value. The 27-year-old Albies hasn't played in a big-league game since July 21 due to a fractured left wrist and was struggling to swing from the left side as recently as last week. It's unclear if the switch-hitting infielder will only bat from the right side of the plate when he returns to the Braves, possibly this weekend against the division-rival Miami Marlins. Fantasy managers should temper expectations with the three-time All-Star when he returns to finish up the 2024 regular season.UPDATE: Albies is scheduled to play rehab games with Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday and Wednesday and could join the Braves in Miami for their series opener against the Marlins on Friday.