Atlanta Braves fans anxious as Ozzie Albies says he will be ready for Opening Day despite offseason shoulder surgery: "This is concerning"
Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies suffered through an injury-riddled 2022. After five highlight-filled seasons with the Braves, Albies played in just 64 games last year after suffering a pair of injuries.
Albies first went out with a fractured left foot on June 13. Then, after sitting out just over three months, he fractured his right pinky in his first game back on Sept. 18, ending his season.
Fast forward to spring training, and Atlanta Braves fans were feeling excited about the return of their two-time All-Star and Silver Slugger.
That excitement turned a bit apprehensive after the Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke the news that Albies had offseason surgery on his right shoulder.
"Just a regular clean-up," Albies told the Journal-Consitution. "It was barking a little bit."
Ozzie Albies underwent offseason shoulder surgery, which he called a "clean-up."
Asked if he would be ready for Opening Day, he said, "Yes, 100 percent."
ajc.com/sports/atlanta…
The news struck many a Braves fan out of left field. Albies said the shoulder impingement that created the need for surgery will not prevent him from being "100 percent" ready for opening day. Many Atlanta fans are ready to take him at his word.
Big season for Ozzie incoming🤔 twitter.com/justinctoscano…
@JustinCToscano He’s due for a big season after his bad injury luck last year
Let his draft stock fall and claim the advantage.
Ozzie Albies is going to have a monster season. twitter.com/justinctoscano…
Albies said he's able to do everything on the field and he has hit in the batting cage. However, with memories of 2022 injury woes still fresh, a lot of the Atlanta Braves fan base is concerned if Atlanta will have its favorite second sacker fully back this season.
well this is concerning twitter.com/justinctoscano…
@JustinCToscano Damn I got for a second, I thought he reinjured himself 😢
That makes THREE off-season surgeries we didn't know about, unless we missed one
Albies
Wright
Jiménez twitter.com/JustinCToscano…
News of the "shoulder impingement" caught many off guard, leaving them wanting to know more about the injury and its possible effects on Albies.
That's new info...
twitter.com/JustinCToscano…
Throwing shoulder? twitter.com/justinctoscano…
@JustinCToscano Do we know which shoulder? His throwing has looked really weird since the middle of 2021.
Then, again, the conspiracy wing of the Braves Nation believes that there is a secret motive behind the surgery. There is no corroborating information to support that Albies is an android.
@JustinCToscano Confirmed @ozzie is bionic
Ozzie Albies is a crucial player for Atlanta Braves
Albies insists that the "clean-up" surgery is nothing to be alarmed about, and that he has played through right shoulder pain during his career.
"That’s what I always have done," he said. "I play hard no matter what. Everybody says, 'Yeah, you’re 100 percent.' You’re never 100 percent. You always have to sacrifice yourself out there and be good for your teammates because you don’t want to let anybody down, the same way they (don’t let you down)."
Albies has been a crucial player for the Braves since making his debut in 2017, hitting .271 with 346 RBIs and 98 home runs over his six-year career.