New York Yankees' left fielder Alex Verdugo has struggled offensively this year. He is hitting .233, 40 points below his career average. Verdugo has also been dealing with sores and pains in his hands for three years. He went to a doctor over the All-Star break and, according to Randy Miller of NJ.com, he was told he might be allergic to his batting gloves.
“Verdugo responded, revealing that his allergic reactions were traced to two chemicals in his Franklin batting gloves — cobalt and chromate. ‘Chromate is used in curing the leather,' Verdugo said. ‘And cobalt is found in the color dyes.' NJ Advance Media spoke to two doctors, one of whom believes Verdugo’s condition might be related to the ink in the many tattoos covering his chest and arms. Neither has examined Verdugo and both are speculating on possible causes and cures.”
There are many bizarre injuries in sports but being allergic to batting gloves is a new one. Miller says that 2% of people are allergic to cobalt and 6% are allergic to chromate. The Yankees must get Verdugo some new batting gloves and hope he can return to his early-season form.
Verdugo was hitting .275 with an OPS over .800 through May 7, the Yankees' 37th game of the season. Since then, he is hitting just .224 with an OPS of .617. The Yankees need Verdugo to perform to make a playoff run while Verdugo must surge if he wants to remain with the Yankees.
Is Alex Verdugo in the Yankees' future plans?
Alex Verdugo was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Yankees before this season. He has just one year left on his contract and the Red Sox cashed in, getting a couple of nice pieces in return. The Yankees made the deal because prospect Jasson Dominguez was out at the beginning of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The deal set up an outfield featuring Verdugo, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto. It is Soto that holds the key to Verdugo's future in The Bronx. It's no secret that New York wants to keep Soto in pinstripes. As he continues to crush it offensively, his price continues to rise. The Yankees will not be able to afford Verdugo and Soto this offseason.
It would behoove Verdugo to not sign with any team until Soto does. The Yankees could pay him top-line money to be their left fielder next season. If Soto stays, Verdugo will go elsewhere, potentially to a team that lost out on Soto.
To be a desired free agent, Verdugo must perform well down the stretch. Dominguez came up for the Little League Classic on Sunday and did not get a hit, so Verdugo will have a chance. He has not played well as the leadoff hitter or the cleanup hitter, so the Yankees should consider moving him down in the order.
Alex Verdugo must start performing if the Yankees want to win the World Series this season. When the rosters expand in September, Dominguez is expected to come up and should slide into the lineup. Now that his hands should be in better shape, Verdugo has about two weeks to pick up the pace.
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