Four weeks after signing him in free agency, the Atlanta Braves have officially added outfielder Alex Verdugo to their active roster. In a corresponding move, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Verdugo, 28, joined late in spring training and appeared in nine games for Gwinnett, hitting .207 with a double, two home runs, and four RBIs. Last season with the Yankees, he posted a .233 average, a .647 OPS, 13 homers, and 61 RBIs across 149 games. In the postseason, Verdugo struggled, batting .208 with a .622 OPS and eight RBIs in 14 games, including the final out of the World Series, which the Dodgers won.
Over his MLB career with the Dodgers (2017–19), Red Sox (2020–23), and Yankees, Verdugo has hit .272 with a .742 OPS, 70 home runs, and 316 RBIs in 800 games. As for De La Cruz, 28, he was hitting just .191 with one extra-base hit through 16 games this season. In his five-year career spanning the Marlins, Pirates, and Braves, he holds a .251 batting average with 58 home runs and 208 RBIs across 491 games.
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