Verdugo sparks Braves with 4-hit night: 'Not going to be boring with him'

ATLANTA -- Alex Verdugo was in the Yankees’ lineup for every game of last year’s World Series, but he remained a free agent until the Braves signed him to a one-year, $1.5 million deal on March 20, exactly one week before Opening Day.

“It definitely [ticks you off] in a sense, right?” Verdugo said. “But at the same time, I think everything happens for a reason. Whatever that reason is, it kind of gave me a little more feel. Something inside of me kind of woke up a little bit.”

A motivated Verdugo might be exactly what the Braves need. They won his season debut in comeback fashion on Friday and then benefited from his four-hit performance to claim a 4-3 win over the Twins on Saturday night at Truist Park.

It’s almost like the Braves weren’t 5-13 before Verdugo joined their club. His arrival has provided hope for the leadoff spot and coincided with the team winning consecutive games for the first time this season.

“I’m not taking credit for that yet,” Verdugo said. “These guys have been out here working hard this year. I think you’re starting to see a lot better at-bats from certain guys.”

Verdugo’s former Red Sox teammate Chris Sale lasted less than five innings for the third straight start, but the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner had reason to thank Rafael Montero, who escaped an inherited bases-loaded fifth-inning threat unscathed, Michael Harris II, who launched a 446-foot home run and Verdugo, who scored a pair of runs and delivered the game-winning RBI single with one out in the sixth.

“[Verdugo] is just a dynamic player and I think he showed it tonight,” Sale said.

It wasn’t clear why the Braves took a chance on Verdugo just three days before they ended the Florida portion of Spring Training. But he became an obvious part of their plans a little more than a week later, when Jurickson Profar was handed an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance that is in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Profar was slated to be the everyday left fielder and fill the leadoff spot until Ronald Acu?a Jr. returns from knee surgery in May. His absence has been felt. The Braves entered Saturday with a MLB-worst .499 OPS from their outfielders, and their .587 OPS from the leadoff spot was sixth-worst in the league.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m hitting leadoff or in the nine hole, just have good at-bats,” Verdugo said.

Verdugo singled ahead of Matt Olson’s RBI double in the first and he doubled ahead of Olson’s RBI single in the third. The Braves had received just one hit from the leadoff spot over their previous five games combined (1-for-21).

Harris struggled at the top of the lineup, but he has already seemingly benefited from Verdugo’s arrival. Harris notched a game-tying single in Friday’s decisive eighth and found more comfort in the seventh spot, when he homered to begin Saturday’s decisive two-run sixth.

“It’s going to be good for [Harris] to watch Verdugo and his approach and how he handles the at-bats,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

Verdugo produced a 105 OPS+ (league average is 100) over 493 games with Boston from 2020-23, but then had a career-worst 83 OPS+ with the Yankees last year.

Still, Verdugo certainly has the potential to be more productive than what the Braves have had without both Acu?a and Profar. At the same time, he’s a likeable teammate whose personality could help energize or at least enliven the clubhouse.

“He’s a fun guy in the clubhouse,” Sale said. “He can mix it up. It’s not going to be boring with him.”

The Braves have already found life with Verdugo to be far more enjoyable than those first few weeks they spent without him.