With the Yankees facing Rays right-hander Zach Eflin on Friday night, Alex Verdugo found himself back in the cleanup spot to start the second half.
“Somebody’s gotta grab that,” Aaron Boone said when asked why Verdugo is the man for the job.
Prior to Friday, Verdugo had hit fourth in 47 games this season. For a while, he offered a change-of-pace look when sandwiched between hulking sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. However, Stanton has been on the injured list with a hamstring strain since June 23.
Meanwhile, Verdugo’s offensive production has plummeted.
The left fielder is hitting just .215 with a .595 OPS since May 8, but Boone feels there’s been “a lot of good in there,” as well as some bad luck over that stretch.
As a cleanup hitter, Verdugo was batting .226 with a .639 OPS, six homers and 29 RBI this season. Overall, he hit .235 with a .670 OPS, 10 dingers and 45 RBI. He also had an 87 OPS+; 100 is considered league-average.
“Look, really, with Giancarlo going down, we’ve just been a little thin, and you’re kind of betting on and banking on [Verdugo],” Boone continued. “I think he’s gonna hit. He’s gonna hit like Alex Verdugo moving forward. That’s what I’m counting on. But if somebody grabs that spot and takes that spot, so be it. But I feel like Alex is the best one going into tonight to hit in that spot against a righty, and we’ll continue to pay attention to it.”
Typically, “hit like Alex Verdugo” has meant roughly league-average seasons. He had a 103 OPS+ over his final three years in Boston, though that number was 117 over 159 games between 2019 and 2020.
Prior to May 8 of this season, Verdugo hit .275 with an .812 OPS, five home runs and 17 RBI. He’s also played stellar defense, aside from his fall in Baltimore last Sunday. Still, his glove shouldn’t stop the Yankees from exploring upgrades before the trade deadline.
With Verdugo struggling in the four-hole, Ben Rice has hit cleanup a few times. But he’s also been working as the Yankees’ leadoff man, which is where the rookie hit Friday.
Boone was asked if he’s given any consideration to using Austin Wells has his cleanup man, as the catcher closed out the first half with a solid stretch at the plate.
“Not yet,” Boone said, though he noted that Wells has already moved up in the lineup.
The Yankees are hoping that Stanton’s return addresses their needs in the middle of the order. At this stage, it would make sense for Stanton to hit fourth, instead of returning to the five-hole behind Verdugo.
Boone still wasn’t sure when Stanton will be back or whether his next game will be in the majors. However, the designated hitter is doing full baseball activities and was seen running the bases at Yankee Stadium on Friday.
“We’re getting to that point where he’s really close,” Boone said. “So we’ll probably circle up and get a course of action this weekend as far as if he’s gonna play in a rehab game or when that is, but he’s definitely really close.”
That’s Giancarlo Stanton running the bases. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/PovGHPfQuD
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) July 19, 2024
Of course, Stanton is not guaranteed success upon his return. In fact, past trends suggest the Yankees may get a different hitter than the one who slashed .246/.302/.492 with 18 homers and 45 RBI prior to the hamstring strain.
Stanton did not perform well following injuries in 2022 and 2023, and he hit .202 with a .286 OBP overall between those two seasons. But Boone said those campaigns are not necessarily indicative of what Stanton will do the rest of this season.
“We’re hoping that the injury was minor enough this go around and a little bit different in that he’s in a better spot returning physically, and hopefully [he] hits the ground running,” Boone said. “I mean, we’re talking about one or two times where things have happened. That doesn’t define everything. We feel like he’s in a good spot. I think he does. And so you gotta trust in that.”
