Braves' Alex Verdugo: Officially booted from 40-man
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Atlanta designated Verdugo for assignment Wednesday.
Atlanta needed to free spots on its 26-man active roster and 40-man roster for the reinstatement of Jurickson Profar from the restricted list, and Verdugo was the obvious choice after he slashed only .239/.296/.289 with zero home runs over 56 contests. Verdugo is likely to pass through waivers and become a free agent.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Will be DFA'd by Atlanta
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Atlanta will designate Verdugo for assignment prior to Wednesday's game against the Angels, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The club needs to free up spots on the 26-man active roster and 40-man roster to make room for Jurickson Profar, who will be reinstated from the restricted list Wednesday after serving an 80-game suspension. Verdugo saw plenty of chances in left field as Atlanta sought a fill-in for Profar, but he produced a palty .239/.296/.289 batting line with zero home runs over 56 contests. The 29-year-old is likely to pass through waivers unclaimed and is expected to eventually become a free agent.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Sitting against lefty again
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Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
With Atlanta facing lefty Ranger Suarez, Verdugo will retreat to the bench for a second straight game. Stuart Fairchild will get the nod in left field.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Sitting against righty
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Verdugo is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Mets.
Verdugo has re-established himself as Atlanta's go-to left fielder against right-handed pitching, making seven straight starts in such situations, but he is sitting out Monday as the Mets send righty Paul Blackburn to the bump. Eli White will play left field and bat eighth.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Reclaims regular lineup spot
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Verdugo will start in left field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Marlins.
He appears to have taken back primary starting duties in left field from Eli White, as Verdugo gets a fifth straight start against a right-handed pitcher (Sandy Alcantara). Though his playing time has been trending up of late, Verdugo will move into a fourth-outfielder role beginning July 2, when Jurickson Profar (suspension) is eligible to return from the restricted list.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Playing time continues to slip
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Verdugo is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game in Milwaukee.
For the third time over the past four contests, the left-handed-hitting Verdugo finds himself out of the lineup, even though all four games have come against right-handers. Eli White is again starting in left field and might be re-emerging as Atlanta's primary starter at the position. Verdugo has produced a lowly .247/.301/.312 slash line over 166 plate appearances since being promoted to the majors April 17.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Sitting again Tuesday
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Verdugo is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers.
The 29-year-old is batting .182 (5-for-32) across his past 11 games and is on the bench Tuesday for the second time in Atlanta's past three contests. Both absences have come against right-handed pitchers -- Quinn Priester is starting Tuesday for Milwaukee -- which could signal that Verdugo is heading toward a lesser role. Eli White is starting in left field Tuesday, but he's mired in a 2-for-30 slump himself as neither outfielder is doing much offensively to maintain a regular place in the lineup.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: On bench Sunday
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Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at San Francisco.
Verdugo started the previous five games but will take a seat Sunday after going 3-for-15 with a double and an RBI during that span. Eli White will man left field and bat eighth against Giants righty Landen Roupp in the series finale.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Idle against southpaw
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Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
With lefty Garrett Crochet on the bump for Boston, Verdugo will retreat to the bench. Eli White will get the starting nod Sunday.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Set for platoon
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Verdugo will handle the strong side of a platoon in left field with Eli White now that Ronald Acuna is back in the lineup, David O'Brien of the Athletic reports.
White's actually had slightly better numbers against right-handed pitching so far this season, posting an .814 OPS in 87 plate appearances in that split versus Verdugo's .760 OPS in 100 PAs, but manager Brian Snitker will go with a conventional platoon for now between the two. How the duo performs will likely determine how long the arrangement lasts, and while Verdugo is batting .324 (11-for-34) over his last 10 games, all 11 hits have been singles. The 29-year-old may need to supply a little more pop to maintain the bigger share of the left-field workload.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: On base four times in win
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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
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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: Receiving day off vs. lefty
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
