How Alex Verdugo’s big league return aims to fix the Braves’ outfield woes

Atlanta Braves Slugger Alex Verdugo & manager Brian Snitker

In March, the Atlanta Braves signed Alex Verdugo to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Since he missed spring training, he was optioned to Triple-A so that he could get in shape.

Verdugo was a pivotal part of the New York Yankees' success in 2024 at the start, before he started to struggle. Now, he is looking to put that behind him and start fresh with his new squad.

Verdugo will soon get his chance with the latest news that came out of Atlanta on Thursday. The team announced that they had recalled the slugger from Triple-A while sending Bryan De La Cruz down.

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De La Cruz had been struggling at the plate, hitting .191/.240/.213. However, he is not the only outfielder struggling. Jarred Kelenic is only hitting .146, while Michael Harris II is hitting .179.

Adding Verdugo to the lineup gives the Braves another left-handed bat. Harris and Kelenic are also left-handed, so it would make sense to break them up with Stuart Fairchild or Eli White while facing LHPs.

When facing an RHP, they should be set. Adding Verdugo gives manager Brian Snitker multiple ways to set his lineup and get things going after such a rough start to the season.

Alex Verdugo is buying time for the Braves as Ronald Acuña Jr. gets ready to return

New York Yankees - Alex Verdugo (Photo via IMAGN)

The Braves have gotten off to a rough start this year. They came into the season missing Ronald Acuna Jr. after the slugger tore his ACL against the Pittsburgh Pirates last May. He ended the year playing in just 49 games.

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It was a devastating injury in which Acuna Jr. completely tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He had to have surgery and has spent the last year resting and recovering.

Acuna Jr. has gotten the okay from his doctors to start ramping things up. This is exciting as his return to the lineup is close. There is no timetable on when he can return, but it would not be surprising to see him back sometime next month.

For now, Alex Verdugo will do his best to serve his new team. Once Acuna Jr. returns to the lineup, there is no telling what could happen to him. He will want to be locked in from the start if he wants to have a role when the club's star later returns.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Jared "Bloomy" Bloom