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Alex Verdugo’s timing was certainly ironic.
Maybe competition truly does breed excellence. Improved results, at least.
The polarizing left fielder clubbed a two-run homer to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning of their 10-4 win over the Royals on Monday night in The Bronx.
Verdugo had gone 52 at-bats since his last home run.
But it was only Verdugo’s second at-bat since the Yankees’ top-ranked prospect, Jasson Dominguez, was called up to the major league roster again.
Though Verdugo, who later added a single that helped the Yankees break the game open, started in left field with Dominguez in center on Monday, Dominguez is likely to cut into Verdugo’s time the most.
Aaron Judge, who normally plays center field, was the designated hitter on Monday as manager Aaron Boone gave Giancarlo Stanton, the usual designated hitter, a night off.
“[Dominguez] is gonna come up here, he’s gonna play, he’s gonna help this team win,” Verdugo said after the game. “Whatever that means, that means, right? If I lose a little bit of playing time, I lose a little bit of playing time. At the end of the day, I want to win. The only thing that matters is getting into the playoffs and winning there.”
On Friday, general manager Brian Cashman supported Verdugo’s continued hold on the left field spot, saying that he was “playing good baseball right now” and that he gave the team the best chance to win.
He also defended the decision not to call up Dominguez right away when rosters expanded on Sept. 1, which was met with heavy criticism.
Now, Boone’s daily decision between Verdugo and Dominguez — who went 1-for-4 Monday — will be a daily talking point.
Boone said Monday that Dominguez, in general, will play “a lot.”
Both Boone and Verdugo said after the game that the two had not yet had a conversation about what Dominguez’s addition means for Verdugo.
“He’s been having better at-bats, I feel like over the last couple of weeks,” Boone said after the game. “Big homer there. … This time of year, it’s about being a pro and he gave us some professional at-bats tonight, for sure.”
Verdugo, who is on the final year of his contract after the Yankees acquired him from the Red Sox this past offseason, entered Monday with a woeful slash line of .235/.295/.356 with a .651 OPS and 83 OPS-plus.
And he’s worsened since the All-Star break, entering Monday with a .609 OPS in the second half of the season.
There’s been some recent reason for optimism, however — since discovering he was allergic to his old batting gloves and getting new ones on Aug. 24, Verdugo has gone 18-for-54 at the plate (.333 batting average), including Monday’s at-bats.
“Just feeling better,” Verdugo said. “Staying within myself, staying a little bit more balanced, just having my at-bats again – not trying to force the outcome.”
