In the New York Yankees’ lineup, someone other than Juan Soto and Aaron Judge will eventually need to step up. Notwithstanding Judge’s recent troubles, manager Aaron Boone continues to believe that Alex Verdugo is the best choice to shield the outfielder.
With Giancarlo Stanton sidelined, Boone acknowledged he’s “counting on” the former Boston Red Sock to get hot once more, according to SNY.
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“I believe he will strike. From now on, he will hit like Alex Verdugo. That is my expectation.”
Regarding Alex Verdugo’s difficulties and his continued use as the Yankees’ cleanup man, Aaron Boone was questioned:
176 Response · July 19, 2024, 12:53 PM
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Boone remarked, “Somebody’s gotta grab that, you know,” in reference to New York’s cleanup location. Alongside “Dugie”…Additionally, I believe that since May, when those figures were recorded, there has been a lot of nice play there; yet, I also believe that he has been somewhat unlucky, where he is either misfiring on pitches or losing his swing. Now that Giancarlo has been injured, we’ve just been a little thin, so you’re really banking and betting on him.
Verdugo had a great start to the season, slashing.279/.379/.488 in April with four home runs and twelve RBI. Since then, though, the 28-year-old has slowly deteriorated, hitting.245 in April,.219 in June, and.184 so far in July.
Boone went on, “I think he’s gonna hit, like, he’s gonna hit like Alex Verdugo going forward.” That’s what I’m hoping for, you know. However, as you can see, it’s okay if someone occupies that position. However, we will continue to monitor it because I believe Alex is the best player to hit in that place versus a righty going into tonight.
If Verdugo keeps getting worse, who else in the Yankees possibly step in?
Right fielder Alex Verdugo, 24, of the New York Yankees, reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Verdugo will have several more opportunities.
Copyright USA TODAY Sports/Eric Canha
Austin Wells, a catcher, is one person who could surpass Verdugo. With three home runs and seven RBI in July thus far, the 25-year-old’s slash line of.222/.323/.556 has exceeded expectations in terms of contribution. In June, he hit.238 as well.
But Boone isn’t prepared to switch the two just yet.
“Not yet, but he’s been hitting sixth a lot lately, so I moved him up to sixth,” he remarked. “But once more, we’ll see.”
Ben Rice, a rookie sensation, replaced Anthony Volpe at leadoff after moonlighting at cleanup. Since being brought up in June, Rice has six home runs, 19 RBI, and a.809 OPS.
But out of all those players, Verdugo has the longest resume. The six-foot-nine, 209-pound player has slashed.275/.331/.422 in 2,684 career at-bats since making his Dodgers debut in 2017.
According to Brandon Kuty of The Athletic, Verdugo believes he is about to make another breakthrough.
He said, “It’s one of those things—it feels weird.” “It doesn’t seem typical. However, there is something positive about what we’re sort of doing. How we’re going to clean it up. How we are operating. Feel that it will come through in the latter half. You obviously want it to appear right away. It’s not at the level I would want to see it at, where it seems like three or four at-bats a day with quality plate appearances, but it seems to be showing signs of life again. Please just put it out of your head, step up to the bat, and have faith in my abilities. We’ll talk again soon.
The Arizona native’s first opportunity to bounce back will come on Friday against Zach Eflin of the Tampa Bay Rays. Against the seasoned pitcher, Verdugo is 4-for-17 all-time with one home run, one RBI, and four strikeouts.
Joshua Valdez began his career in journalism as the sports editor of the Rutgers University newspaper. He later joined ClutchPoints as an assistant editor, where he covered the NBA, NFL, and MLB.
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