Following a tough year with the New York Yankees—a season many remember for his three-pitch strikeout that ended the World Series—Alex Verdugo entered free agency for the first time in his career.
That process didn’t go smoothly either. Verdugo waited until just a week before Opening Day to receive any contract offers. Eventually, the Atlanta Braves came calling, signing him to a \$1.5 million deal—a significant drop from the \$9.2 million he earned with the Yankees the previous season.
Verdugo began the year in Triple-A before being called up on April 18. However, his time with Atlanta was also challenging, and it has now come to an end. On Wednesday, the Braves announced they had designated Verdugo for assignment.
The decision came after Jurickson Profar, the Braves’ \$42 million offseason acquisition, became eligible to return following an 80-game suspension related to alleged performance-enhancing drug use.
Profar made an immediate impact in his first game back on Wednesday, hitting a home run and helping lead Atlanta to an 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Truist Park—creating a stark contrast with Alex Verdugo, who failed to hit a single home run in 197 at-bats across 56 games.
During his lone season with the Yankees, Verdugo hit 13 homers in 559 at-bats, matching his total from the previous year with the Boston Red Sox in 546 at-bats.
But his struggles in Atlanta were glaring. He managed just 47 hits, with only 10 going for extra bases, and finished his stint with a .585 OPS and a -0.2 WAR.
After his lone season with the Yankees, Verdugo expressed a desire to return to New York.
“I’d love to come back and show the kind of player I truly am,” he said at the time, according to the New York Post. “I think people have seen it on defense and glimpses on offense, but I’m usually much more consistent.”
Unfortunately for Verdugo, the Braves didn’t see the consistency he hoped to showcase—on offense or defense. In 54 games in left field, he recorded just one defensive run saved, according to Fangraphs.
With his designation for assignment, the Braves now have seven days from Wednesday to either trade him or place him on waivers with the intent to release him.
If no team claims him or a trade isn’t completed, Verdugo will have the option to re-enter free agency or accept a minor league assignment if the Braves extend that opportunity.
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