BALTIMORE — Alex Verdugo was a key a part of a thriving Yankee offense for the primary six weeks of the common season, with an .812 OPS till Could 9.
However since then, the left fielder, who was introduced in from Boston within the offseason to offer some much-needed stability to a righty-heavy lineup in The Bronx, has principally struggled.
In his earlier 58 video games previous to Saturday’s 6-1 win in opposition to the Orioles at Camden Yards, Verdugo had only a .606 OPS.
Aaron Boone mentioned Verdugo was “grinding, however I do really feel like he’s doing a very good job competing via that and know that he has that religion and confidence as a hitter that he’s gonna get it rolling.”
Orioles on Saturday. USA TODAY Sports activities by way of Reuters Con
That’s one of many causes the Yankees put Verdugo again on the prime of the lineup Saturday in what’s appeared lately like a perpetual seek for a leadoff hitter to get on in entrance of Juan Soto and Aaron Decide.
However latest historical past exhibits Verdugo won’t be on the verge of turning his season round, regardless of Boone’s phrases of encouragement.
Verdugo’s manufacturing on the plate has slipped in every of his three-plus months as a Yankee.
After placing up an OPS of .804 by the top of April, Verdugo’s OPS in Could was simply .687 earlier than it fell to .589 for the month of June.
And in the course of July, Verdugo entered Saturday with a .563 OPS for the month.
In some methods, Verdugo’s dropoff is harking back to his season a yr in the past with the Purple Sox, when he had an OPS of .856 in his first 72 video games, however starting in late June, he had a .620 OPS over his closing 70 video games of the season.
Not like what’s occurred this yr, although, Verdugo was principally finished in by a brutal June and a nasty September.
The Yankees had hoped hitting alongside Decide and Soto, in addition to different veterans like Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo, would take some stress off Verdugo.
Stanton and Rizzo are harm — and even when wholesome, Rizzo by no means obtained going on the plate.
“We’ve seen some stretches, even over the past couple weeks, the place we really feel like he has began to get rolling,’’ Boone mentioned. “Then he has a recreation the place he doesn’t get a lot manufacturing, however we do really feel like that’s near being there.”
And Boone added Verdugo’s historical past as a stable contact hitter ought to assist him get out of his funk.
“He’s within the prime of his profession,’’ Boone mentioned. “That ought to present itself over time.”
The numbers, although, inform a barely totally different story.
Verdugo is on monitor to place up a few of the worst numbers of his profession — together with OPS and OPS-plus and his on-base proportion, down once more, has dropped yearly since 2021.
Via all of it, although, Boone believes Verdugo’s mindset on the plate stays OK.
“I really feel like from his state of mind, he’s in an OK place,’’ Boone mentioned. “I believe he’s grinding and pissed, however I additionally really feel he’s actually assured he’s gonna get it going.”
