Should Braves be worried about Ozzie Albies going into 2026?

The bad news surrounding Ozzie Albies’ wrist injury was confirmed yesterday following additional tests. He has a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist — the same wrist he injured in 2024 that seemed to bother him through the first half of 2025.

Naturally, this has sparked concern about his standing with the Braves moving forward. Albies played a career-high 157 games this season, yet posted career-lows across the board offensively — a .240 batting average, .306 on-base percentage, .365 slugging percentage, and .671 OPS.

Those numbers actually look much better thanks to a strong second half in which Albies finally started to look like himself again. Prior to the All-Star break, the longtime second baseman hit just .220 with a .606 OPS, leading many to believe it simply took him months to get fully comfortable after his 2024 wrist injury.

The Braves cannot afford to have the first-half version of Ozzie Albies show up in 2026, but questions about his future in Atlanta are overblown. The team holds a $7 million option for next season with a $4 million buyout, and there’s no chance they let him walk over $3 million. His clubhouse presence and potential upside alone make this an easy decision.

A more realistic question is whether the Braves will look for a legitimate backup plan this winter in case Albies struggles again early next year. But even that feels unlikely.

For starters, the Braves’ payroll is already extremely high heading into 2026, even if they don’t make any moves. This is not an organization with unlimited funds, and pitching will be the top priority, which is always pricey. Committing money to a second baseman who would likely spend most of his time on the bench doesn’t make much financial sense.

On top of that, it’s hard to imagine Atlanta actually benching Ozzie Albies for any extended period. He showed again this year that once he finds his rhythm, he’s still one of the best second basemen in the game. Even if he starts slow, the Braves know the “good” Albies could show up at any moment, and that version is better than anything they could reasonably find in free agency.

It’s natural to overreact when injuries pop up, especially with key players. There should be some concern about Albies’ health and production in 2026, but on such a team-friendly deal with so much upside, the Braves’ best move is to roll the dice and hope for the best. Unless, of course, another team is willing to make that gamble for them and offer a package of real value for Albies this winter.

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