New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo went 2-for-3 with two singles, two runs, and a walk in their Game 1 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Verdugo tallied his two runs off a Gleyber Torres home run in the third inning and an Austin Wells single in the sixth. In the seventh inning, Verdugo knocked a single to left field, which scored Jazz Chisholm Jr. to put the Yankees in the lead. Rookie Jasson Dominguez was in danger of taking Verdugo's starting role in left field, but given this performance, he should continue to see most of the opportunities there throughout the playoffs. Despite the strong outing, the 28-year-old is best to fade in DFS on Monday when he will face Kansas City southpaw Cole Ragans.
Alex Verdugo To Start In Left Field In Game 1 Of ALDS
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo will start in left field for the Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday at Yankee Stadium against the Kansas City Royals and right-hander Michael Wacha, according to league sources. There was some question as to whether it would be Verdugo or young outfielder Jasson Dominguez starting in left field to open the playoffs for the Bombers. Verdugo hit .233/.291/.356 with a below-average .647 OPS, 13 homers, 61 RBI and 74 runs in 559 at-bats in his first year in the Bronx. He hit .234 (15-for-64) with two homers, seven RBI, four walks and eight strikeouts in 19 games in September to close out the regular season. Verdugo has faced Wacha 11 times in his career, picking up three hits (one double) with a walk and a strikeout. He'll likely be slotted near the bottom of the Yankees' batting order on Saturday.
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo launched a pinch-hit homer in a blowout victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. Verdugo didn't start the game, but came in as a pinch-hitter for Jasson Dominguez late in the game and took advantage of the opportunity. The lefty has seen his playing time dwindle lately due to poor performance and the depth of the Yankees outfield. Verdugo will have a hard time cracking the lineup for the postseason and will likely be a bench option. The same can be said for the 2025 season, causing his fantasy value to tank.
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo made the start in left field while batting ninth on Monday in the series opener at Yankee Stadium against the visiting Kansas City Royals, but it seems likely that he's going to be the odd man out in New York's outfield with prospect Jasson Dominguez being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday. Manager Aaron Boone said that Aaron Judge will be in center field on most days, with Giancarlo Stanton serving as the designated hitter, as expected. The Yankees didn't call up Dominguez to ride the pine at the big-league level, so he will most likely take over regular duties in left field and send Verdugo to the bench more often than not. Verdugo did go 2-for-4 with his 12th homer of the year in the 10-4 win over the Royals on Monday, but he came into the contest with a .235/.295/.356 slash line with a below-average .651 OPS in 519 at-bats in 2024.
Alex Verdugo Back In Leadoff Spot For Game 1 Of Doubleheader
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo (undisclosed) is back in left field and is batting leadoff for Game 1 of a doubleheader on Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Davis Daniel. The Yankees held Verdugo out of the lineup on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays because he was banged up, but he's back in action on Wednesday in a great matchup. The 28-year-old left-handed hitter is still looking for his first hit in August and has gone 12-for-55 (.218) with no homers, five doubles, four RBI, six walks and 12 strikeouts in 14 games played since the All-Star break. While Verdugo has been pretty inconsistent in the Bronx, he's been much better against righties, batting .240 (72-for-300) against them with eight of his 10 home runs on the year.
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo (undisclosed) is feeling a "little beat up" according to Yankee skipper Aaron Boone. This is why the 28-year-old was kept out of Sunday's starting nine. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports that Boone did not get into any specifics and simply said the outfielder is "all right." For now, fantasy managers should consider Verdugo day-to-day entering the start of the week. This afternoon, Aaron Judge shifted to left field, which opened center field up for Trent Grisham. If Verdugo were to miss any extended period of time, Grisham is the most likely candidate to see an uptick in playing opportunities.
Alex Verdugo Hitting Leadoff, Ben Rice Moved To Cleanup
The New York Yankees are shuffling their batting order a bit for Wednesday's contest against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Zach Eflin. Outfielder Alex Verdugo will take over the leadoff spot, while rookie first baseman/catcher Ben Rice drops from leadoff to the cleanup spot behind slugger Aaron Judge. Rice has held his own in his first 19 major-league games for the Bombers, slashing .267/.348/.567 with a .914 OPS, five home runs, three doubles, 14 RBI and nine runs scored in 69 plate appearances. As long as he continues to hit like that, he'll play regularly at first with Anthony Rizzo out with a fractured forearm. Verdugo has hit 10 long balls in 335 at-bats while driving in 45 and scoring 42 runs. The 28-year-old will have more fantasy appeal atop the order, but it's unclear if this is more of a temporary or permanent move.
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo will take the day off on Friday with the team facing the visiting Atlanta Braves and left-hander Chris Sale. Verdugo will be replaced by Jahmai Jones, who will start in left field and bat fifth for the Yankees against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Verdugo is hitting just .211 (15-for-71) with two of his nine home runs, 10 walks and 13 strikeouts in 84 plate appearances against southpaws in 2024. He's also gone 5-for-29 (.172) with a homer, double, four RBI and three strikeouts in his last seven games, so he could use a day off. Jones has only played in 21 games in his first year in the Bronx and is hitting .188 (3-for-16) with a homer, RBI and stolen base. DFS managers will probably want to avoid Jones against Sale on Friday's slate.
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo had a nice homecoming in Boston on Friday night where the lefty went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, four RBI, and a run scored in an 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Verdugo smacked a two-run home run in his first at-bat in his return to Fenway and followed that with an RBI double in the fifth inning and an RBI single in the ninth inning. Verdugo has been scorching-hot over the last week with four multi-hit games with a .355 batting average while driving in seven runs. Verdugo has been excellent hitting cleanup for the Yankees this season and will look to continue his hot June against the Red Sox the rest of this weekend with the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves heading to New York next week.
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo played his part in Tuesday's 10-3 win over the Astros. Verdugo went 3-for-5 with two singles, a three-run home run, and four RBI. The 27-year-old has brought more pop than expected and is slashing .275/.362/.450 with five HR and 17 RBI in 141 plate appearances. His fantasy value would be boosted if he continues to hit for power and average in a strong lineup.