Since Brett Gardner last played a game in left field for the Yankees — and even some time before then — the position had become a black hole of production. That has only made Alex Verdugo’s start to this season even more impactful for the Yankees. From the time Gardner last roamed left field through the end of the 2023 season, the Yankees started 16 different players in left field.
Verdugo started his 35th game of the season there on Wednesday night against the Astros in the Yankees’ 38th game. The only three games he has missed came last week, when he went on the paternity list for the birth of his child. Before and after that, he has consistently made his impact felt — in left field, in the batter’s box and in the clubhouse.
“He’s just a complete player,” Aaron Judge said recently. “He’s a guy we’ve been looking for, a left fielder that’s left-handed and competes every single day. He shows up every single day ready to play, he wants to play every single day.
“I told him the other day in the outfield, he’s one of the best left fielders, besides Brett Gardner, that I’ve played with. Just how he reads, he communicates. We got a special group of outfielders here.
We’re lucky to have him. I’ve been pushing for quite a long time to try to get him over here and excited to see what he’s doing.” Verdugo’s latest clutch effort came in Tuesday’s win over the Astros, when he went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBIs and a diving catch.
He enter.
