How should the Braves view Ozzie Albies going into 2026?

Ozzie Albies is coming off his best two-game stretch of the season, collecting five hits, three home runs, and nine RBIs. The surge raised his OPS by nearly 30 points and could be the sign of a turnaround — another promising development looking ahead to 2026.

That said, the entire body of work cannot be ignored. Albies has been among the worst qualified hitters in the sport. His power from the right side of the plate, historically his strength, has all but disappeared. He just hit his first right-handed home run this week and has a .600 OPS versus left-handed pitching this season, compared to an .882 OPS for his career.

It’s an almost unexplainable falloff — and somewhat ironic, given that some Braves fans have long insisted he should bat exclusively from the right side. According to FanGraphs, Albies’ 0.9 WAR ranks him 16th out of 22 qualified second baseman, and that number was actually much worse prior to his explosion over the last couple of days.

For the bulk of the 2025 campaign, Albies has been in the conversation with the worst second basemen in the sport. He’s hit around .220, doesn’t take many walks, experienced a considerable downturn in the power department, and is nothing to write home about defensively.

The Braves have a decision to make this offseason, but it has nothing to do with Albies’ $7 million option. The club is going to pick that up, especially since it carries a $4 million buyout. Giving up on a three-time All-Star before the age of 30 over $3 million after one down season is a ludicrous proposition. The decision really centers around what kind of backup plan do the Braves want to put in place in case Albies’ struggles continue in 2026.

The options in free agency aren’t exactly plentiful. The Braves could go big on a guy like Bo Bichette, knowing that both shortstop and second base have been sore spots this year. Gleyber Torres is coming off a great season for the Tigers but is likely going to be pricey. Outside of that, there’s not much else, and the trade market likely isn’t going to littered with clear upgrades either.

With so many other holes to fill and limited resources to fill them, second base feels like a position the Braves will have to rely on internal improvement. A year removed from an injury filled 2024 campaign could have Albies looking much more like his old self. If not, Nacho Alvarez has flashed some serious potential while filling in for Austin Riley at third base. His defense has been fantastic, and the bat has shown signs of coming around following a slow start.

Between Albies regaining form and Alvarez emerging as a potential option, there’s reason to believe Atlanta will see better production at second base in 2026.