This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat e-newsletter. To learn the total e-newsletter, click on right here. And subscribe to get it frequently in your inbox.
CINCINNATI — Ozzie Albies isn’t the primary participant who has determined to not less than briefly ditch swap hitting. However he appears to be the primary to take action in the course of the remaining levels of a heated postseason race.
When Albies returns to the Braves lineup for Friday night time’s collection opener in Miami, he can be solely batting right-handed, one thing he hasn’t accomplished since he joined the skilled ranks in 2014. The veteran second baseman, who has been sidelined since fracturing his left wrist on July 21, remains to be feeling discomfort when swinging from the left aspect.
So, relatively than sit out the remainder of the common season, he’s doing no matter he can to assist the Braves make a late push towards the postseason.
“Everyone knows how naturally gifted he’s right-handed,” Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer mentioned. “Seeing the ball go away from him as a substitute of into him can be an adjustment. However I feel he’ll be all proper. It could be an enormous enhance if he may come up right here and be normalized right-handed.”
Followers have lengthy clamored for Albies to cease hitting left-handed. The 26-year-old second baseman has hit .246 with 95 homers (28.0 at-bats per residence run) and a .735 OPS throughout his profession from the left aspect. He has hit .339 with 47 homers (20.2 AB/HR) and a .937 OPS from the fitting aspect.
“So long as he’s snug with it and feels assured about it, everyone knows what that right-handed bat is like,” Braves supervisor Brian Snitker mentioned. “He simply wants some expertise.”
Albies went 2-for-3 with a house run and a stroll whereas going through nothing however left-handed pitchers when he performed his first rehab sport for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday. He went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles whereas going through nothing however right-handed pitchers in Wednesday’s sport towards Jacksonville.
Now, Albies is about to face the Marlins, who’re slated to start out a right-handed pitcher on Friday and Sunday. Left-hander Braxton Garrett may come off the injured checklist to start out Saturday’s sport. Miami’s bullpen at the moment contains only one left-handed pitcher.
Going through right-handed pitchers from the fitting aspect isn’t fully international to Albies. Together with taking right-handed swings towards right-handed batting observe pitches each day, he really selected to have a proper vs. proper matchup towards the Astros’ Zack Greinke in the course of the 2021 World Collection.
Albies has felt extra snug from the fitting aspect towards right-handed tender tossers and knuckleballers. He struck out and grounded out whereas going through Greinke, whose fastball averaged 90.1 mph over 4 innings in Recreation 4.
“If anyone can pull this off, he can,” Seitzer mentioned.
With Albies returning to the lineup, the Braves might want to determine now make the most of Whit Merrifield, who remains to be enjoying with a damaged bone in his left foot. Merrifield’s foot erases his candidacy to play the outfield — however he may play third base. The questions are: 1) Is there sufficient of an offensive improve to take Gio Urshela off third base, particularly with the foot additionally limiting Merrifield offensively? 2) Wouldn’t it make extra sense to have Merrifield come off the bench and probably create some late-inning choices each offensively and defensively?
