The Atlanta Braves have signed outfielder Alex Verdugo, a former New York Yankees star, to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, the team announced Thursday. He was sent to the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers.
Verdugo, 28, hit .233 with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs in 149 games last season with the Yankees. The eight-year veteran joined the “Bronx Bombers” in a trade in 2023 from the Boston Red Sox.
Alex Verdugo is a quality veteran
Verdugo batted .272 with 70 home runs and 316 RBIs in his first 800 MLB appearances. In 2020, he batted .308, a career-high, with six home runs in 53 appearances, when MLB only suspended 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Verdugo hit .294 in 106 appearances in 2019, his best average in a 162-game season.
The Braves will face the Tampa Bay Rays in a spring training game on Friday at 1:05 p.m. EDT in Port Charlotte, Florida
They will play the San Diego Padres in their first regular season game on March 27 in San Diego.
The decision to offer Verdugo a contract while having a backup plan underscores the Braves’ approach to balancing immediate performance with long-term potential
With a competitive environment demanding solid results both offensively and defensively, Verdugo faces the challenge of revitalizing his game in an organization that is eager to see improvements
His defensive reliability in left field remains an asset as he works to hone his offensive contributions and regain his major league status.
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