Alex Verdugo has provided a necessary spark to an Atlanta Braves team that really needed it. His emergence made it so that Bryan De La Cruz, a player Atlanta signed over the offseason, wasn't really needed anymore. With that, the New York Yankees wound up claiming De La Cruz off waivers.
De La Cruz came to Atlanta in large part to provide outfield depth to a group that needed it, with Ronald Acuña Jr. still injured. He never got it going in Atlanta, but Verdugo has been everything the Braves hoped De La Cruz would be and more.
De La Cruz will hope that a fresh start with the Bronx Bombers will get him back to the valuable player he once was with the Miami Marlins.
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Yankees hope Bryan De La Cruz can help distract them from Alex Verdugo's Braves breakout
De La Cruz has 20-home run potential, as he was able to reach that mark with the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2024. However, De La Cruz has struggled to hit for average since last year's trade deadline. It may sound simple, but playing on a struggling Marlins team is a lot different than even Pittsburgh – which at the time was hoping to make a playoff run – and now Atlanta and New York.
With the Yankees, De La Cruz will provide little more than depth at the Triple-A level. In a corresponding move, the Yankees moved Giancarlo Stanton to the 60-day injured list. For now, the Yankees have enough outfield help in the majors in Jasson Dominguez, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge. However, should one of those players or the likes of Trent Grisham go down with an injury, De La Cruz can slot in at a corner outfield slot.
Ironically enough, it is former Yankee Alex Verdugo who helped make De La Cruz expandable. The Braves outfield is a mess in itself thanks to an injury to Ronald Acuña Jr., suspension to Jurickson Profar and the struggles of Jarred Kelenic. De La Cruz provided little relief in that situation, but Verdugo has been a godsend, hitting .341 in 10 games so far.