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Watch: Braves' Ozzie Albies shows he could be rebound candidate on first home run in 2025
After an injury-riddled season in 2024, Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies seems ready to erupt in 2025.
On Opening Day Thursday, the Braves faced the San Diego Padres in a road game. With the Braves trailing the Padres 2-1 in the top of the third inning, Albies crushed a 91 mph four-seam fastball from pitcher Michael King for a two-run, 413-foot home run to right field. Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna also scored.
Ozzie Albies' #OpeningDay homer puts the @Braves ahead pic.twitter.com/STvkJsbbK6
— MLB (@MLB) March 27, 2025
In 2024, Albies fractured his left wrist and right big toe, which derailed his season. In 99 regular-season games, he finished with the second-lowest batting average (.251) of his career.
When healthy, however, Albies is considered one of the best second basemen in baseball. In eight seasons with the Braves, he has made three All-Star games and has won two Silver Sluggers.
If he can avoid major injuries in 2025, the 28-year-old could rebound this season. Take his first homer against San Diego as a good sign.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Mike Trout gets hit by pitch in first at-bat of the season
- Watch: Astros prospect Cam Smith records hit in first MLB at-bat
- The '2023 MLB stolen base leaders' quiz
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Cleveland Guardians Slapped With Bad News Before Trade Deadline
The Cleveland Guardians are quite a mystery heading into the MLB trade deadline, as no one seems to know whether they will buy, sell or possibly even do nothing before July 31. The Guardians are hovering around .500, but they are still smack dab in the middle of the American League Wild Card race. That's in spite of losing 10 straight just before the All-Star break. Even with Cleveland remaining in contention, there are some who believe the Guardians might sell given their conservative nature, but talk show host Bruce Drennan has provided some rather bad news for the team in that regard: the players they might want to move don't have much value. “No top prospects for a big bat, and I don’t necessarily see us selling players, like Carlos Santana or Lane Thomas. What can you get in return?” Drennan said. Drennan has a point. Santana and Thomas are both impending free agents, and neither has been all that good this season. Santana owns a .665 OPS, and Thomas has been on and off the injured list while hitting just .160 on the year. Of course, the Guardians would surely be able to land a hefty return for players like Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase, but it does not seem like Cleveland is going to move either of those two stars. Perhaps the Guardians will surprise some people and go all in by adding pieces at the deadline, but that isn't exactly in their nature. We'll see what happens before the end of the months, but it stands to reason that Cleveland might just stand pat, as Drennan anticipates. Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage
Browns make curious decision with rookie QB Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should absolutely see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
Lakers Pegged as Landing Spot for Ex-Celtics Guard Named Top Free Agency 'Steal'
The Los Angeles Lakers are working on building a contender around last season's blockbuster addition of Luka Doncic, and could have their eyes on a player named the biggest "steal" of free agency. James Herbert of CBS Sports noted that former Boston Celtics star Malcolm Brogdon is still looking for his next NBA home and could be a bargain for a team that lands him. "After a couple of years in Portland and Washington, it feels like it's time for the veteran guard to get back on a winning team," Herbert wrote. "If healthy, he could be a real bargain for a contender -- it was only two years ago that he won Sixth Man of the Year in Boston." Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp named the Lakers as a team to watch for Brogdon, who has shared his admiration for Lakers star LeBron James in the past. Speaking to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, the former NBA Rookie of the Year said he believes James is the greatest of all time and disagrees with those who use his longevity as an argument against him. “At 40, I think that LeBron is playing at a higher level, but I think medicine and I think science has come a long way,” Brogdon said. “But I think also longevity has to be counted for LeBron. He’s the first player in this game to have longevity that is counted against him, you know? It’s one of his downfalls.” Brodgon was a solid contributor for the Washington Wizards last season, scoring 12.7 points with 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
A.J. Hinch Sends Clear Message in Midst of Tumultuous Tigers Stretch
What is going on with the Detroit Tigers right now? That's what the entire baseball world is wondering as the team that had been dominant throughout the first part of the season has crumbled in front of everyone's eyes. After being the first to win 60 games, they are stuck on that number, while three teams have surpassed them and four others have joined them at that mark. More News: Former Tigers All-Star Pitcher Gets Traded in Early Deadline Deal Entering Saturday's contest against the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays, the Tigers have lost 11 out of their last 12 games, showcasing an inability to score runs and prevent them that had not been on display during the first half. It's easy to understand why there might be panic about Detroit. Despite their incredible run during the back stretch of last season that took them one win away from reaching the ALCS, not many people expected this team to do much in 2025, pointing to their middling roster that was full of young and unproven talent. Before the All-Star break, not much went wrong even with all the injuries they suffered. But it's been a different story since then. More News: Tigers Could Have Fewer Options To Address Bullpen Needs Than Rivals Thankfully, the Tigers have a veteran manager in their dugout, and he is the right man to steer them out of this funk. "I've never been on a team that hasn't gone through a little bit of something at some point. There is no easy 162-game schedule," he said to reporters, including Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press. How does he aim to get his team back on track? By being steady and not reacting one way or another to what has happened. "A steady approach works. It's not always easy. It's not always the most popular because you want this massive reaction one way or the other. We've got to play the game that's in front of us today," Hinch added. "... The steadiness is what these guys are looking for." Detroit's Major League roster has had to grow up quickly. Still in the midst of a prolonged rebuild, all of a sudden they were thrust into the spotlight with their late-season run in 2024 that carried over into the first part of this year. It's uncharted territory for many in organization, and that includes the decision makers at the top. More News: Tigers Land Two Major Upgrades From Diamondbacks in This Trade Idea Hinch doesn't fall into that category, though. He's been there before, previously leading an unproven group on an unproven franchise to sustained success. "I've managed 100-plus win teams that have gone through six- and seven- and eight-game losing streaks, or lost 12 of 13. You don't think of that because we forget over time. There's going to be a time that we all forget about this. It's just not right now when you're going through it. You feel like you're getting suffocated day by day where the first thing that goes wrong brings back the thoughts of previous games. Welcome to sports. It's an emotional ride. Those that stay steady will survive," Hinch stated. The Tigers are looking to do exactly that, and if they can come out of this on the other side, then they should be much better for it. For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.
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