ATLANTA — Ozzie Albies’ season ended when he fractured his left hamate bone against the Nationals on Monday night at Truist Park. Now, there’s again reason to question whether the Braves should bring the second baseman back next year.
Albies will miss the remainder of the season, as it typically takes a player a month or two to recover from a fractured hamate bone. He missed most of last season’s final two months with a left wrist fracture suffered while trying to apply a tag at second base.
This latest left hand/wrist ailment was suffered when Albies fouled a pitch while batting right-handed against Konnor Pilkington in the third inning. He showed some initial signs of discomfort, but remained in the game for one more pitch. He then moved toward the dugout, where he was checked by head athletic trainer George Poulis.
Poulis performed some strength tests before Albies took a practice swing, which seemed to convince Poulis that Albies needed to exit.
As the Braves evaluate whether to exercise Albies’s $7 million option ($4M buyout) for 2026, they must weigh how this latest left hand/wrist injury could impact him. His struggles during this season’s first half seemed to be a lingering effect of last year’s left wrist ailment.
This is a disappointing conclusion to what had the makings of a satisfying season. He had played in each of Atlanta’s 157 games, and he had produced more like himself during the season’s second half.
Albies constructed a .606 OPS before the All-Star break. But he entered Monday having hit .270 with nine homers and a .767 OPS in the 61 games that had followed.
