These are words I have been waiting for since June 13th when Ozzie Albies fractured his foot up in Washington D.C. against the Nationals — Ozzie is playing again! It has been a long road for sure, but now things are looking brighter.
In late August, Ozzie began traveling with the Braves team and started ramping up his baseball activities by taking batting practice, running the bases, and doing his defensive drills with third base coach, Ron Washington.
Then, On September first, Ozzie played in his first rehab game with the Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A). He served as the DH and was 0-4, but nonetheless it was good to see him back in a baseball uniform and lineup. On September second, Ozzie played in another game with the Stripers, once again as the Designated Hitter. He went 2-3, which was a significant improvement from the day before and was a great sign of progress.
Ozzie will begin to play second base this week, and they will continue to increase the load of work he will be doing throughout the week and during the rest of his rehab assignment. There is no clear date as to when Ozzie Albies will return, but I believe he will be back within 1-2 weeks, depending on how comfortable the Braves and their training staff are with his rehab.
It will be very exciting to see Ozzie back playing a Major League game. The Braves certainly haven’t been the same without him. Not only on the field, but he has been missed in the dugout. Ozzie brings such life and fun to the team, and I believe, he makes them a better team because of it. With his infectious smile, positive attitude, and his superb baseball playing, Ozzie Albies will be welcomed back very happily. Not only by the Atlanta Braves, but also by all of Braves Country.
GO BRAVES!!
Braves Chop Chat 