Ozzie

Albies

Albies broke this game wide open with his three-run home run in the seventh inning after it sat still at 4-2 from the third inning on. That was his 10th home run of the season – only six shy of his mark from last year – to go along with a .283 batting average and .791 OPS in what’s been a resurgent season for the second baseman.

Albies smacked a double off of Payton Tolle in the fourth inning and came around to score on a two-out RBI single off the bat of Dominic Smith. He then capped off the scoring in the ballgame with a 416-foot (104.4 mph EV) two-run blast off of Ryan Watson in the ninth inning. With the three-hit attack, Albies is now slashing a solid .276/.333/.439 to go along with nine homers and 29 RBI on the season.

Albies has been the team’s everyday cleanup hitter this week following the return of Ronald Acuña Jr. The second baseman has one of the highest wRC+ marks of his career, though he finishes the afternoon just 14 percent better than league average. It’s still a bounceback from the past two years. The only flaw in his roto profile this year is that he hasn’t yet stolen a base and has been caught three times.

Walt Weiss sure does love to tinker. He also has Michael Harris II batting second for the first time tonight. Ozzie Albies is in the cleanup spot. Riley is back down to .211/.279/.368 for the season after the last two games. He’s hit .250 with four homers and 11 RBI in 17 games this month, but that has come with a poor 22/2 K/BB.

Albies’ home run was his sixth of the year. He hit a two-run shot off Tigers reliever Tyler Holton to put the Braves up 5-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Suddenly, Albies is sporting a 141 wRC+, which would be the highest of his career. The 29-year-old second baseman didn’t have a league average wRC+ in three of the last four years prior to this season. Fantasy managers have to be pleased with this start from Albies, who should be rostered in all formats at this point.

Albies roped a double into the right field corner after a wild pitch staked the Braves to a 3-2 lead to make it 5-2, then tacked on a solo shot in the ninth inning to conclude the game’s scoring. Now hitting .297/.342/.475 in what can only be called a bounceback season to this point, Albies has five homers in his first 101 plate appearances. If you drafted him as a low-end starter in a shallow league, you’re feeling pretty good about how things have gone so far.

Albies’ only hit of the game gave the Braves an insurance run in the eighth inning as he took Shaun Anderson deep for a solo homer to right field. It was the third home run of the young season for the 29-year-old second baseman. He’s slashing .277/.333/.468 with seven runs scored and four RBI across 51 plate appearances.

Albies broke a scoreless tie in the ninth inning as he launched the second pitch he saw from Paul Sewald for a 382-foot (105.6 mph EV) solo shot to put the Braves on top to stay. He also singled twice in the ballgame, finishing the evening 3-for-4. He’s off to a terrific start to the 2026 season slashing .355/.412/.548 with two homers and three RBI in his first 34 plate appearances.

Albies wasted little time getting on the board for the first time this season. The switch-hitting second baseman took an 83 MPH changeup from Cole Ragans into the left field seat in the bottom of the first to give the Braves an early 1-0 lead. Albies was surprisingly listed third in Thursday’s lineup, but the decision paid early dividends for manager Walt Weiss who made his managerial debut for the Braves. Albies would single to right in the third inning for his second hit on the night, but was caught stealing a few pitches later. Albies is looking to rebound from a disappointing .240/.306/.365 line in 2025 and is off to a strong start after hitting .188 this spring.

Coming off a .240/.306/.365 batting line in 2025, this is a pretty surprising lineup placement for Albies in the opener. He batted third in just seven of 157 appearances last season. He did hit slightly better against lefties (.277/.296/.412) last year, but we’re still a bit surprised. The full Opening Day lineup against LHP Cole Ragans is: RF Ronald Acuña Jr., C Drake Baldwin, Albies, 1B Matt Olson, 3B Austin Riley, LF Eli White, SS Mauricio Dubón, C Jonah Heim, and CF Michael Harris II.