Braves' Ozzie Albies: Set to receive full-time role
Manager Brian Snitker said that Albies, who was promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, would serve as the Braves' primary second baseman, Mark Bowman of MLB.com. He'll bat seventh in his major-league debut Tuesday against the Dodgers.
With a .768 OPS, Brandon Phillips has been solid as the Braves' everyday second baseman through the first four months of the season, but since he's a 36-year-old on a rebuilding squad, it was always expected that he'd eventually give way to Albies, the organization's top middle-infield prospect. Albies earned his promotion to the big leagues by slashing .285/.330/.440 with a 21-for-23 stolen-base success rate at Gwinnett, and should get every opportunity over the final two months of the season to establish himself as a long-term member of the Braves' core. There will likely be some growing pains as he adjusts to the jump in the quality of competition, but Albies' game-breaking speed and contact-hitting skills will at the very least make him an intriguing speculative pickup.
