After missing 162 games, the equivalent of an entire MLB season, Atlanta Braves four-time All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. made a dramatic comeback this weekend, blasting a home run Friday on the first pitch he saw since May 26, 2024.
Acuña Jr., the 2023 National League MVP, followed up with a second home run in Saturday’s game, also against the San Diego Padres at Truist Park in Atlanta. The pair of round-trippers in his first nine at-bats since he tore the ACL in his left knee almost exactly one year ago obviously gave a jolt of energy to the Braves, who continue to battle back from a 3-10 start to the season.
But Acuña’s fast start could spell bad news for Acuña Jr.’s newest teammate, the New York Yankees castoff Alex Verdugo. After receiving no offers in free agency, Verdugo signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Atlanta as spring training entered its final week.
He got off to a quick start with Atlanta, but in May the 29-year-old outfielder has slowed down badly, potentially making him the odd man out in the Braves outfield with Acuña Jr.’s return.
Now, according to the Yankees site Pinstripes Nation, the Braves will now face “pressure” to cut ties with Verdugo now that Acuña has returned — with a vengeance.
“His return immediately strengthens Atlanta’s outfield but creates a crowded roster situation,” write Pinstripes Nation scribe Sara Molnick of Verdugo. “Braves supporters increasingly believe Verdugo should be eliminated from consideration.”
Alex Verdugo will no longer be a member of my staring outfield tomorrow. God is good.
— Jahmal (@JahmalKennedy) May 22, 2025
Molnick added that Verdugo’s relatively minimal contract “reflects his diminished market appeal. Verdugo dropped from a $9.2 million Yankees salary to a $1.5 million prove-it arrangement with Atlanta. While he displayed glimpses of past ability in April, May has revealed the same inconsistencies that haunted his Bronx tenure.”
Acuña Jr.’s two home runs in two games give him two more than Verdugo has managed in his entire 29-game Braves tenure. In 10 April games, after getting his call-up, Verdugo posted a formidable .850 OPS.
More MLB: Ex-Yankee Alex Verdugo Nears 30th Straight Game With Zero Home Runs
In May, Verdugo has compiled an anemic .526 OPS number. His sharp decline has followed a predictable formula, Molnick wrote.
“Current circumstances suggest a troubling pattern emerging,” Molnick wrote on Saturday. “Previously considered a valuable outfield commodity, Verdugo now confronts possible designation for assignment in consecutive seasons. Atlanta provided him a second chance, but that opportunity appears endangered.”
When it activated Acuña, however, Atlanta instead chose to designate 2023 All-Star shortstop Orlando Arcia for assignment. The 30-year-old from Venezuela was producing even less than Verdugo, with a .194 batting average and useless .445 OPS after 14 games and 32 plate appearances in 2025 with Atlanta.
More MLB: Braves Urged to ‘Pull Plug’ on Yankees Castoff Alex Verdugo as Numbers Plummet
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