With Ronald Acuna Jr. nearing his return from last year's torn ACL as he continues his rehab assignment with the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers, his return to the big-league club this weekend feels inevitable. Even with the Braves turning the season around after a dismal winless start, the former NL MVP could provide the shot in the arm to make Atlanta a contender again. However, it also means someone is getting pushed off the roster. The Braves shouldn't have to think too long before kicking Alex Verdugo to the curb.
Verdugo, who signed with the Braves right before Opening Day with the Jurickson Profar suspension looming, provided some promising results early on in Atlanta. Through the end of April, Verdugo was hitting .341 with an .850 OPS and looked to be a stabilizing force in the makeshift outfield rotation.
As Red Sox and Yankees fans could've warned Braves fans, though, that was never going to last — and it hasn't, quite dramatically so. In the month of May, Verdugo is hitting just .200 with a dismal .503 OPS. He's become a net-negative at the plate and, though his glove is fine in the outfield, he's not making much of a case to stick around.
More importantly, by comparison, there's really no contest for Verdugo being the obvious choice to cut ties with in order to make way for Acuña.
Braves should send Alex Verdugo packing with Ronald Acuña Jr.'s return
Michael Harris II has struggled mightily this season but his place in center field is secure. Eli White has been a pleasant surprise with a good glove and .789 OPS on the year. Sure, Stuart Fairchild has been just plain bad for the Braves, but that's only at the plate. I'd argue his glove has been more reliable than Verdugo's. As a bench option, I'd rather bank on the defense-first approach.
Acuña's return doesn't mean the Braves won't need depth at some point. Having said that, there are still better options than Verdugo. Jarred Kelenic had plenty of issues in the majors but has been working since in Triple-A as well. He's also showing signs of life with an .827 OPS in Gwinnett. It makes much more sense to rely on him and Fairchild as depth options given their age and, in Kelenic's case, the upside.
In reality, though, this is exactly what the Braves were hoping for, even if it lasted longer than they'd ideally hoped, as Acuña has taken until the end of May to return. Throughout his career, Verdugo has been streaky as can be. He had an .867 OPS in April with the Yankees last season but didn't clear a .700 OPS in any other month. In 2023 with Boston, he had three full months with an OPS over .830 but also had three other months with an OPS of .503 or lower.
As a stopgap option to deal with injuries and suspensions, though, that's something the Braves could always withstand. Now that Acuña is back and, based on his 1.500+ OPS in Triple-A, looking ready to hit the ground running, Verdugo's purpose has been served. His struggles are rearing their head but, luckily, Atlanta won't have to weather that storm much longer.