Verdugo went 3-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Red Sox.
The veteran outfielder put together his best performance in May as Atlanta's leadoff hitter. Verdugo's mostly struggled this month however, slashing just .210/.269/.258 through 16 contests, and he's still looking for his first homer of the season after 26 games. It's still not clear when Ronald Acuna (knee) might be activated from the injured list, but Verdugo's window for proving he deserves to keep a starting job once the superstar is ready to make his 2025 debut is rapidly closing.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Sitting against left-hander
Rotowire
Verdugo is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Verdugo has typically started against left-handers for Atlanta, but he will take a seat in this one versus Washington southpaw Mitchell Parker. Eli White will shift over to left field and bat leadoff, while Stuart Fairchild receives a rare start in right.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Knocks in game-winning run
Rotowire
Verdugo went 2-for-5 with an RBI single in Monday's 4-3 win over the Nationals.
Verdugo -- who went 1-for-24 in the six games prior to Monday's contest -- sent the home crowd happy in the ninth inning, when he smacked a single off Andrew Chafin that brought Eli White home for the game-winning run. It was Verdugo's fifth multi-hit game of the year, and he's slashing .250/.305/.341 with eight RBI and 11 runs scored this season.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Receiving day off vs. lefty
Rotowire
Verdugo is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates.
Verdugo started the previous seven games, including two against left-handed starters, but he'll sit Friday while in the midst of an 0-for-14 slump. Eli White will shift to left field while Stuart Fairchild starts in right versus Pittsburgh southpaw Bailey Falter.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Cracks two doubles, steals bag
Rotowire
Verdugo went 2-for-3 with two doubles, a steal, a walk, one RBI and a run scored in Monday's 4-0 victory over the Reds.
Verdugo hit leadoff for the fourth consecutive game and tallied his sixth and seventh doubles of the season off starter Brady Singer. The Atlanta outfielder also swiped his first base of the season, pilfering second in the seventh inning. Verdugo has been hot since joining the big-league club April 17, slashing .322/.385/.441 with nine runs scored and seven RBI across 65 plate appearances.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Day off Wednesday
Rotowire
Verdugo is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Colorado.
Verdugo will get a routine day off for the matinee game after starting in each of the previous five contests. Atlanta will go with Eli White and Eddie Rosario as its corner outfielders in Wednesday's series finale.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: On base three times Monday
Rotowire
Verdugo went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI in Monday's win over the Rockies.
Every Atlanta starter had at least one hit as the team began a series at Coors Field, but Verdugo tied Nick Allen for the team lead in times on base. The veteran outfielder has had a sizzling start to his season since being added to the big-league roster April 17, batting .350 (14-for-40) through nine games with five doubles, six runs and six RBI. Ronald Acuna (knee) has yet to begin a rehab assignment, so Verdugo figures to continue occupying the leadoff spot for at least a few more weeks.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Delivers four hits
Rotowire
Verdugo went 4-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI in Sunday's 6-4 loss to Arizona.
Verdugo singled in the first and third innings before knocking an RBI double in the fifth. He added an RBI single in the seventh and drew a walk in the ninth. Verdugo has produced two four-hit games since making his debut with Atlanta on April 18. Through eight contests, he's slashing .333/.368/.472 with five extra-base hits.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Verdugo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Cardinals.
Verdugo started each of the first five games upon being called up from Triple-A Gwinnett, but he'll get a breather for Wednesday's series finale. Eli White will cover left field and bat seventh for Atlanta.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Hitless in season debut
Rotowire
Verdugo went 0-for-5 with a strikeout in Friday's win over the Twins.
The 28-year-old outfielder hit leadoff in his debut for Atlanta, but he was unable to reach base despite a couple hard-hit balls. Verdugo is hoping to regain his form after a rough 2024 campaign with the Yankees -- over the five seasons prior, he slashed .283/.338/.432 between the Dodgers and Red Sox.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Batting leadoff in Atlanta debut
Rotowire
Verdugo will start in left field and bat leadoff in Friday's game versus the Twins.
Verdugo is not only being thrown right into the lineup for his Atlanta debut, but he's being placed at the top of the batting order, as well. The veteran outfielder should play regularly for his new club, at least against right-handed pitching. Verdugo slashed only .233/.291/.356 across 149 regular-season games for the Yankees in 2024.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Recalled to Atlanta
Rotowire
Atlanta recalled Verdugo from Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.
Verdugo played nine games at Gwinnett after signing with Atlanta in late March, slashing .207/.303/.448 with two home runs and a 2:2 K:BB over 33 plate appearances. The 28-year-old is coming off a lackluster 2024 campaign that saw him post a .647 OPS across 149 regular-season contests, but with Atlanta's injuries and lack of production in the corner-outfield spots, along with Jurickson Profar's PED suspension, Verdugo should receive something close to everyday playing time.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Expected to join Atlanta this week
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Verdugo is expected to join Atlanta's active roster this week, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Verdugo has participated in seven games with Triple-A Gwinnett, going 4-for-22 with a pair of home runs, including one long ball on Sunday. It's uncertain whether Verdugo will join Atlanta on Monday for the start of its series in Toronto or on Friday when the club begins a homestand, but "all signs point" to the veteran outfielder being recalled this week, per O'Brien. Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz have both struggled, so Verdugo figures to immediately get an opportunity at regular playing time in the outfield corners for Atlanta.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Inks $1.5 million deal with Atlanta
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Atlanta signed Verdugo to a one-year, $1.5 million contract and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Verdugo's free-agent market has been quiet all winter, but he's finally managed to land a major-league deal a week before Opening Day. It's not clear when Verdugo might be able to play, and by the time he's ready Ronald Acuna (knee) may have already rejoined the Atlanta lineup, so the 28-year-old could be viewed purely as corner outfield insurance by Atlanta. Verdugo slashed only .233/.291/.356 across 149 regular-season games for the Yankees in 2024.
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Alex Verdugo: No MLB offers in free agency
Rotowire
Verdugo has yet to receive an offer for a major-league deal since becoming a free agent in November, a league source tells Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
Verdugo lacks the power profile most teams value in corner outfielders, but as an under-30 player with a career 101 wRC+ over parts of eight seasons in the majors, it comes as a surprise that he apparently hasn't been offered anything more than a minor-league deal throughout the winter and spring. Given his track record in the big leagues, Verdugo has understandably been unwilling to sign what he perceives as a below-market deal, but he may have to wait for a team's outfield depth to be tested by injuries early in the season before he gets an offer to his liking. While he waits for an opportunity, Verdugo has reportedly kept himself in playing shape by training on his own at his home in Arizona.
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Alex Verdugo: Still looking for new home
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Verdugo is running out of time to sign with a team before the start of the season, Matt Ehalt of the New York Post reports.
Verdugo had been linked to the Mets, Blue Jays, Astros, Angels and Pirates this offseason, but those clubs either no longer have interest or they're simply not willing to offer the veteran outfielder what he feels he's worth. The 28-year-old slashed only .233/.291/.356 across 149 regular-season games for the Yankees in 2024 but graded out as a plus defender in left field.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Will start again in Game 2
Rotowire
Verdugo is expected to start in left field in Game 2 of the ALDS versus Kansas City on Monday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Verdugo started in Game 1 and came through with a big performance, going 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI. His seventh-inning RBI single broke a 5-5 tie, providing what proved to be the winning run. Verdugo's expected start in Game 2 seems to indicate that he's currently the preferred option in left field over rookie Jasson Dominguez, as the Yankees are electing to deploy the lefty-hitting Verdugo over the switch-hitting Dominguez against southpaw Cole Ragans.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Expected to start in Game 1
Rotowire
Verdugo is expected to start in left field for Game 1 of the ALDS against the Royals on Saturday, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.
Verdugo split starts in left field with Jasson Dominguez toward the end of the regular season after the latter was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre on Sept. 9. The duo had a similar slash line during that split, but it appears manager Aaron Boone will go with the veteran Verdugo for Game 1 of the ALDS. Verdugo's lone postseason appearance was in 2021 with the Red Sox, when he slashed .310/.383/.452 with one home run and six RBI across 47 plate appearances.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Homers off bench
Rotowire
Verdugo hit a solo home run in his lone at-bat in Thursday's 10-1 win over the Orioles.
Verdugo has had to share left field with Jasson Dominguez in recent weeks. In September, Verdugo has gone 14-for-56 (.250) with two homers and five RBI over 17 games, which hasn't been enough to claw back playing time. Verudgo is at a .234/.293/.359 slash line with 13 homers, 59 RBI, 74 runs scored, 28 doubles and a stolen base over 147 contests this season.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Out of Tuesday's lineup
Rotowire
Verdugo is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Royals, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
Verdugo was in the lineup Monday in the first game after Jasson Dominguez's promotion and even homered in that contest. However, he's expected to lose significant playing time to Dominguez moving forward, and on Tuesday, it will be the latter manning left field for the Yankees.
