Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies sent the Netherlands and the 16,897 fans in attendance at Loan Depot Park (Miami, Florida) home excited on Saturday after hitting a walk-off three-run home run with two outs against Nicaragua to win the game 4-3.

Albies in the matchup against Nicaragua went 2-for-4 with a single to right field in the seventh inning, while collecting an RBI (four total) on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded in the third inning. The three-time All-Star came into the game cold, going 0-for-4 in Friday’s 6-2 loss against Venezuela, and was hitting .200 with four strikeouts (10 at-bats) in four spring training games.

OZZIE ALBIES!

A #WORLDBASEBALLCLASSIC WALK-OFF HOMER FOR TEAM NETHERLANDS 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/T2HRyL233M

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 7, 2026

Ozzie Albies Walks it Off for the Netherlands: Sign of Things to Come?

Albies has not been his All-Star (2018, 2021, and 2023) or Silver Slugger type self (2019 and 2021) for the past two seasons after suffering a right toe fracture in April of 2024 and a fractured left wrist in July. Albies played in only 99 games in 2024 — hitting .251 with an OPS of .707 — and 2025 was even worse, with a career-worst .240 and the lowest OPS of his career (.671) in 157 games.

Signing a seven-year, $35 million contract in April 2019, with two club options for 2026 and 2027, Albies’ performance in 2026 will determine if the Braves decide to pick up the $7 million option for next season (barring a work stoppage). Entering 2026 healthy and surrounded by his teammates, outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (left ACL surgery in 2024 and right Achilles tendon inflammation) and third baseman Austin Riley (strained abdominal muscle), who are also healthy to start the year, should offer Albies protection in new manager Walt Weiss’s lineup. If the Braves want to return to postseason contention after a down season, Albies will be a vital part of the equation. Perhaps Saturday’s walk-off is a preview of a bounce-back season for the veteran infielder.

 

Main Photo Credit: © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images