Braves' Ozzie Albies earning Astros legend Jose Altuve comparison in game-changing development originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2025 season for the Atlanta Braves was a forgettable one, as the club underperformed throughout the year. Injuries played a major role in Atlanta’s disappointing season and prevented the team from ever gaining consistent momentum.
Ozzie Albies was one of the players whose future with the organization came into question during the season, as there was speculation the Braves could potentially move on from him. Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos never gave a firm answer regarding whether Albies would return.
“With all these options (on players), we always make the decision at the end of the year — you have five days after the World Series, and that’s when you make the decision. It’s just, things can happen, things change. You always wait,” Anthopoulos said.
Not long after the season ended, the Braves officially picked up Albies’ option for the 2026 season.
“The Braves are going to pick up their club option on infielder Ozzie Albies. The club hasn’t announced the decision yet, but president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos confirmed the move in a radio appearance, per Mark Zinno of 92.9 The Game,” MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams wrote.
Entering the season, it was clear Albies needed to stay healthy and return to form if he wanted to remain a long-term piece for Atlanta. So far, his offensive numbers have drawn comparisons to Jose Altuve during his prime years.
“If you look at Albies' profile right now, it looks a lot like prime and healthy Jose Altuve. If you go back to 2024, Altuve's bat speed, hard hit rate, chase rate, walk rate, and average exit velocity were very close to what Albies has done so far this season. That's incredibly promising and exactly what the Braves need out of him to be competitive. Albies bat can be a difference maker when he's healthy. If his profile being atypical is the one thing to be concerned about, the Braves are in a good place,” HTHB’s Steven Teal wrote.
Albies has been on a tear this season and currently sits near the top of MLB with 49 hits. The Braves have always known what he is capable of offensively, but health has consistently been the biggest obstacle in his career.
If Albies can maintain this level of production, it would be massive for both Atlanta and his future with the organization. This has been about as strong of a start to a season as Albies could have hoped for.
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