Alex Verdugo Sends a Message: Braves Are Catching Fire
Alex Verdugo is making it clear — the Atlanta Braves are heating up. With their dramatic walk-off win over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, Atlanta has now taken 15 of its last 23 games, showing signs of a serious resurgence.
After blowing a 3-1 lead in the top of the ninth, the Braves bounced back in thrilling fashion. Eli White reached base to start the bottom of the inning, and Nick Allen advanced him into scoring position. Then, Verdugo stepped up and delivered a clutch 3-2 single up the middle off Andrew Chafin, driving in White for the walk-off victory.
The win boosted Atlanta to a 20-21 record, inching them closer to .500 on the season. Meanwhile, the Nationals dropped their sixth straight and now sit at 17-25 — 10 games back of the NL East-leading Mets and 3.5 behind Atlanta, who hold third place in the division.
Verdugo, who spent last season with the Yankees, had a rough 2024. Despite the team reaching the World Series, he endured the worst offensive stretch of his career, hitting just .233 with 13 home runs and a .647 OPS across 149 games. His struggles at the plate led to a cool reception in free agency, and he ended up signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal with Atlanta — a bargain for the Braves but a costly miss for Verdugo, who reportedly passed up a more lucrative offer earlier in the offseason.
Alex Verdugo
Joining the Braves late meant Verdugo missed most of spring training and started 2025 in the minors. Since being called up in mid-April, he’s put together a modest .250/.305/.341 slash line in 20 games with eight RBIs and no home runs yet, though his performance has shown signs of improvement.
The Braves, still chasing the Mets and Phillies in the NL East, are about to get some major reinforcements. Ace pitcher Spencer Strider, who missed nearly all of 2024 due to elbow surgery, made a brief return before suffering a minor hamstring injury. He’s expected back soon. Even bigger news: Ronald Acuña Jr., the 2023 NL MVP, is on track to return later this month after rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in May 2024.
With Verdugo settling in and key players returning, the Braves might be on the verge of making serious noise in the division race.
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