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
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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
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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
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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.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Playing time expected to dip
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone suggested Monday that Verdugo is likely to see his playing time take a hit following outfielder Jasson Dominguez's promotion from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.
While Boone didn't explicitly say Verdugo is no longer a starter, he noted that Aaron Judge will play center field most days, Giancarlo Stanton will be the designated hitter most days and Dominguez will play "a lot." Boone had previously stood by Verdugo, even as the veteran outfielder has slashed just .235/.295/.356 in 137 games. However, the skipper finally looks ready to embrace a starting outfield trio of Judge, Dominguez and Juan Soto more often than not, while Stanton occupies the DH spot. The Yankees will make room in the lineup in Monday's game against the Royals for Verdugo, who will start in left field and bat ninth while Stanton finds himself as the odd man out of the lineup.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Ends homer drought
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Verdugo went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's loss to Colorado.
Verdugo plated New York's second and final run of the contest with a solo shot to center field in the fourth inning. The long ball snapped a 36-game stretch without a home run for the outfielder, who hit just .179 during that span. Verdugo's production has been modest in his first season as a Yankee, as he's slashing .227/.290/.358 with 11 homers, 54 RBI, 63 runs and one stolen base through 529 plate appearances.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Not in Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.
The 28-year-old started the previous 11 games and will sit Sunday while in the midst of a 2-for-18 slump. Top prospect Jasson Dominguez is up as the 27th man Sunday and is starting in left field, but Verdugo's playing time won't be affected moving forward since Dominguez is set to return to Triple-A after the contest.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Dropped to ninth in order
Rotowire
Verdugo batted in the No. 9 slot for the first time in his career Thursday versus the Angels.
The drop down to the bottom of the order may not have been performance-related, as Verdugo is batting .304 with 14 runs, six doubles, three RBI and a 6:8 BB:K over his past 10 games after going 1-for-2 with a run and two walks Thursday. Rather, the lineup adjustment could have been due to the Yankees facing lefty Tyler Anderson, as Verdugo is hitting just .209 against southpaws this season. The veteran outfielder batted leadoff in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader and fourth in the nightcap, so manager Aaron Boone appears comfortable moving Verdugo around in the lineup. Despite his recent uptick in performance, he is posting the worst statistical season of his career, as each part of his .236/.296/.374 slash line would be the lowest mark he's recorded since he became a full-time player in 2019.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Starting in Game 1 of twin bill
Rotowire
Verdugo (undisclosed) will start in left field and bat leadoff in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Angels.
Prior to Sunday's 4-3 win over Toronto, New York manager Aaron Boone acknowledged that Verdugo was being held out of the lineup due to being banged up, but the Yankees never seemed concerned about the outfielder missing additional time. Verdugo ended up benefiting from three full days to heal up, as the Yankees were off Monday and had Tuesday's series opener postponed. The Yankees could still look to rest Verdugo in the second half of the twin bill, but his inclusion in the lineup for the early game at least indicates that he's feeling healthy.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Feeling banged up
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Verdugo's absence from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays is a result of the outfielder being "a little beat up," Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Boone didn't go into any specifics regarding the nature of Verdugo's injury, merely noting that he expects the 28-year-old to be "all right" moving forward. Verdugo might just be tending to some general soreness while he's been used heavily of late, as he had started in each of the Yankees' last 34 games. With a day out of the lineup Sunday and a team off day Monday, Verdugo will most likely be ready to go for the start of the Yankees' three-games series with the Angels on Tuesday.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Getting afternoon off
Rotowire
Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Verdugo will head to the bench for the first time since June 21, ending a streak of 34 consecutive starts. With Verdugo taking a seat in what appears to be a maintenance day, Aaron Judge will fill Verdugo's usual spot in left field while Gleyber Torres takes over as the Yankees' leadoff man.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Scores three times in win
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Verdugo went 3-for-6 with a double and three runs scored in Saturday's 11-8 extra-inning win over the Red Sox.
Verdugo went just 5-for-48 over a 13-game span from July 7-24, but he's bounced back with a pair of multi-hit efforts against his former Red Sox teammates. The slump has had an impact on his season-long numbers -- he's at a .235/.290/.372 slash line through 102 contests after hitting as high as .261 on June 18. The outfielder has added 10 home runs, 21 doubles, one stolen base, 48 RBI and 45 runs scored this season.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Homer, two hits in win
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Verdugo went 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in a 14-4 win over the Red Sox on Saturday.
Verdugo hit a two-run home run in the third inning and then singled and scored in the fifth. He hit just .219 with one homer in June but has registered two multi-hit efforts in his past three games and continues to hit in the middle of the order. The outfielder's current .246 average is well below his .277 career mark, but he has contributed 10 home runs, 45 RBI and 42 runs scored across 364 plate appearances in 2024.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Snaps slump with three hits
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Verdugo went 3-for-4 with two doubles in Thursday's loss to Cincinnati.
Verdugo entered Thursday in the throes of a 12-game slump during which he went 6-for-47 (.128 average). The outfielder showed positive signs of getting back on track against the Reds, not only collecting three knocks but also producing two extra-base hits -- as many as he had tallied during that entire 12-game downturn. While Verdugo is on pace to set a career high in homers and RBI this season (he has nine long balls and 43 runs batted in through 85 games), his .248 batting average and .305 OBP are both on pace for his lowest marks since his 15-game cup of coffee with the Dodgers in 2017.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Sitting against lefty
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Verdugo is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Atlanta.
Verdugo will dodge a matchup with southpaw Chris Sale on Friday. Instead, Jahmai Jones will bat fifth and fill left field.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Big night vs. former team
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Verdugo went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and four total RBI in Friday's 8-1 win over the Red Sox.
It was a memorable return to Fenway Park for Verdugo, who belted a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw in the first inning from Brayan Bello before driving in two more runs later in the game. It was Verdugo's first homer since May 29 -- he's up to nine long balls on the season, just four shy of his career high. The 28-year-old outfielder is slashing .266/.319/.438 with 41 RBI and 35 runs scored through 69 games this year.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Sitting out Thursday
Rotowire
Verdugo is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Twins.
It's a rare day off for Verdugo, who is hitless in eight plate appearances in the first two games of the series, although he did contribute a sacrifice fly in Wednesday's contest. Aaron Judge will slide over to left field Thursday while Trent Grisham patrols center.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Swats homer Wednesday
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Verdugo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 2-1 victory against the Angels.
Verdugo's fourth-inning solo shot equaled the margin of victory in the pitching-dominated matchup. The long ball was his eighth of the season, putting Verdugo well on pace to surpass the career-best mark of 13 homers that he's reached two separate seasons. In his first campaign as a Yankee, Verdugo has added 29 RBI, 27 runs, a stolen base and a .260/.321/.439 slash line through 221 plate appearances.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Launches sixth homer
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Verdugo went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Mariners.
All of the Yankees' runs came via the long ball Wednesday, and Verdugo's eighth-inning blast cut off the Mariners' hopes of a comeback. The veteran outfielder has gone 11-for-37 (.297) over his last nine contests, picking up at least one hit in eight of them while adding nine RBI and five doubles. He's slashing .254/.325/.422 with six homers, 26 RBI, 23 runs scored and a stolen base over 197 plate appearances this season. Verdugo won't get the accolades of fellow outfielders Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, but he's been a strong and steady presence as the Yankees' starting left fielder this season.
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Yankees' Alex Verdugo: Drives in three runs
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Verdugo went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Monday's loss to Seattle.
Verdugo opened the scoring with a two-run double in the first inning and later knocked an RBI single. After posting an .804 OPS in his first 29 games, he's struggled in 17 games this month, going 15-for-64 (.234) with five extra-base hits. Overall, he's now slashing .255/.328/.406 with five home runs, 10 doubles, 24 RBI and a 19:20 BB:K through 46 games.
