Braves' Alex Verdugo: Officially booted from 40-man
Rotowire
Atlanta designated Verdugo for assignment Wednesday.
Atlanta needed to free spots on its 26-man active roster and 40-man roster for the reinstatement of Jurickson Profar from the restricted list, and Verdugo was the obvious choice after he slashed only .239/.296/.289 with zero home runs over 56 contests. Verdugo is likely to pass through waivers and become a free agent.
Atlanta will designate Verdugo for assignment prior to Wednesday's game against the Angels, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The club needs to free up spots on the 26-man active roster and 40-man roster to make room for Jurickson Profar, who will be reinstated from the restricted list Wednesday after serving an 80-game suspension. Verdugo saw plenty of chances in left field as Atlanta sought a fill-in for Profar, but he produced a palty .239/.296/.289 batting line with zero home runs over 56 contests. The 29-year-old is likely to pass through waivers unclaimed and is expected to eventually become a free agent.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Sitting against lefty again
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Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
With Atlanta facing lefty Ranger Suarez, Verdugo will retreat to the bench for a second straight game. Stuart Fairchild will get the nod in left field.
Verdugo is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Mets.
Verdugo has re-established himself as Atlanta's go-to left fielder against right-handed pitching, making seven straight starts in such situations, but he is sitting out Monday as the Mets send righty Paul Blackburn to the bump. Eli White will play left field and bat eighth.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Reclaims regular lineup spot
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Verdugo will start in left field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Marlins.
He appears to have taken back primary starting duties in left field from Eli White, as Verdugo gets a fifth straight start against a right-handed pitcher (Sandy Alcantara). Though his playing time has been trending up of late, Verdugo will move into a fourth-outfielder role beginning July 2, when Jurickson Profar (suspension) is eligible to return from the restricted list.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Playing time continues to slip
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Verdugo is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game in Milwaukee.
For the third time over the past four contests, the left-handed-hitting Verdugo finds himself out of the lineup, even though all four games have come against right-handers. Eli White is again starting in left field and might be re-emerging as Atlanta's primary starter at the position. Verdugo has produced a lowly .247/.301/.312 slash line over 166 plate appearances since being promoted to the majors April 17.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Sitting again Tuesday
Rotowire
Verdugo is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers.
The 29-year-old is batting .182 (5-for-32) across his past 11 games and is on the bench Tuesday for the second time in Atlanta's past three contests. Both absences have come against right-handed pitchers -- Quinn Priester is starting Tuesday for Milwaukee -- which could signal that Verdugo is heading toward a lesser role. Eli White is starting in left field Tuesday, but he's mired in a 2-for-30 slump himself as neither outfielder is doing much offensively to maintain a regular place in the lineup.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: On bench Sunday
Rotowire
Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at San Francisco.
Verdugo started the previous five games but will take a seat Sunday after going 3-for-15 with a double and an RBI during that span. Eli White will man left field and bat eighth against Giants righty Landen Roupp in the series finale.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Idle against southpaw
Rotowire
Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
With lefty Garrett Crochet on the bump for Boston, Verdugo will retreat to the bench. Eli White will get the starting nod Sunday.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Set for platoon
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Verdugo will handle the strong side of a platoon in left field with Eli White now that Ronald Acuna is back in the lineup, David O'Brien of the Athletic reports.
White's actually had slightly better numbers against right-handed pitching so far this season, posting an .814 OPS in 87 plate appearances in that split versus Verdugo's .760 OPS in 100 PAs, but manager Brian Snitker will go with a conventional platoon for now between the two. How the duo performs will likely determine how long the arrangement lasts, and while Verdugo is batting .324 (11-for-34) over his last 10 games, all 11 hits have been singles. The 29-year-old may need to supply a little more pop to maintain the bigger share of the left-field workload.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: On base four times in win
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Verdugo went 3-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Red Sox.
The veteran outfielder put together his best performance in May as Atlanta's leadoff hitter. Verdugo's mostly struggled this month however, slashing just .210/.269/.258 through 16 contests, and he's still looking for his first homer of the season after 26 games. It's still not clear when Ronald Acuna (knee) might be activated from the injured list, but Verdugo's window for proving he deserves to keep a starting job once the superstar is ready to make his 2025 debut is rapidly closing.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Sitting against left-hander
Rotowire
Verdugo is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Verdugo has typically started against left-handers for Atlanta, but he will take a seat in this one versus Washington southpaw Mitchell Parker. Eli White will shift over to left field and bat leadoff, while Stuart Fairchild receives a rare start in right.
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Braves' Alex Verdugo: Knocks in game-winning run
Rotowire
Verdugo went 2-for-5 with an RBI single in Monday's 4-3 win over the Nationals.
Verdugo -- who went 1-for-24 in the six games prior to Monday's contest -- sent the home crowd happy in the ninth inning, when he smacked a single off Andrew Chafin that brought Eli White home for the game-winning run. It was Verdugo's fifth multi-hit game of the year, and he's slashing .250/.305/.341 with eight RBI and 11 runs scored this season.
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