The Atlanta Braves signed veteran outfielder Alex Verdugo to a one-year, $1.5 million contract Thursday and subsequently optioned him to Triple-A so he can get some at-bats, given that he has missed most of spring training.
Verdugo, still just 28 years old, received scant interest after struggling offensively with the New York Yankees last season, slashing .233/.291/.356 in 149 games. Once a promising hitter in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ system, Verdugo’s OPS dropped every year from 2020 to 2024, going from as high as .844 to as low as .647.
The Braves will bring him in despite a glut of outfielders. Michael Harris II is entrenched as the every-day center fielder and Jurickson Profar, signed to a three-year, $42 million deal in January, is the regular in left. The Braves are slated to open the season with a right-field platoon of Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz, but Ronald Acuna Jr. — the 2023 National League MVP coming off another ACL tear — is expected to return in May.
At this point, given that Marcell Ozuna absorbs all the at-bats at designated hitter, Verdugo seems like protection in case Kelenic, a fellow left-handed hitter, struggles.
