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Albies went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Team Netherlands' 4-3 win over Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic on Saturday.
With the Netherlands down to its last out, Albies took Angel Obando deep for a three-run shot -- the first walk-off homer in WBC history. The 29-year-old second baseman has two 30-homer campaigns on his MLB resume, but he's coming off a down 2025 in which he slashed .240/.306/.365 with 16 home runs and 14 steals in 157 games.
Albies (hand) said Wednesday that he's 100 percent healthy for the start of spring training, Reggie Chatman of 11 Alive News Atlanta reports.
Albies missed the final week of 2025 after suffering a hamate bone fracture of his left hand, and the 29-year-old has likely been back to full health for a while. The switch-hitting second baseman said Wednesday that he has something to prove in 2026 after a disappointing season in which he posted a career-low .671 OPS over 157 games. Albies' ability to stay on the field and pile up plate appearances still made him useful from a fantasy perspective, as he delivered solid returns in the counting categories last year with 16 home runs, 14 stolen bases, 74 runs and 74 RBI.
President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday that Atlanta will pick up Albies' (hand) $7 million club option for 2026, Mark Zinno of 92.9 The Game reports.
Albies endured one of the worst offensive seasons of his career in 2025, slashing just .240/.306/.365 with 16 homers, 74 RBI and 14 stolen bases across 667 plate appearances. He also suffered a fracture in his left hand toward the end of the season. Despite the infielder's hardships, Atlanta will stand pat with its commitment to Albies at the keystone rather than pay him the $4 million buyout he would have been owed.
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