With Jurickson Profar returning to the Atlanta Braves lineup yesterday, outfielder Alex Verdugo became the odd man out, getting designated for assignment to the minor leagues.
The Braves now have seven days to either trade Verdugo or place him on waivers, a process by which any of the 29 other Major League Baseball teams can acquire him. Should he clear waivers, he can be assigned to one of Atlanta’s minor league affiliates. The Verdugo move was one of several made by the Braves on Wednesday.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 2, 2025
Verdugo, 29, is in his ninth MLB season, and appeared for Mexico in the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics. With the Braves, he’s hit .239/.296/.289 in 56 games with 10 doubles and 12 RBIs. He appeared in nine games this season with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he batted .209 in 29 at-bats with four RBIs. In 2017, he played in three World Baseball Classic games for Mexico, going 5-for-14 with three runs scored and two strikeouts, but struggled in 2023, going 3-for-23 with a double, four RBIs, and two runs scored in six games.
The Tucson, Ariz.-native’s production has trended downward over the past five years. In the Covid-19 Pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Verdugo posted a career best .308/.367/.478 batting line with an .844 OPS and 15 RBIs for the Boston Red Sox and finished 12 in American League MVP balloting. Each successive year, however, his batting average has dropped, and he finished the 2024 season with a .233/.291/.356 batting line in 149 games with the New York Yankees.
Given his recent production, it’s unlikely that Verdugo would be more than a depth player on Mexico’s 2026 roster, which will likely include Randy Arozarena, Jarren Duran, Alek Thomas, and Joey Meneses also competing for spots in the outfield.
Photo: Alex Verdugo hits a single during the eighth inning against Philadelphia on Friday, June 27, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
