Latest news with #Ex-Yankee
Newsweek
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Braves Pressured to Dump Ex-Yankee After Ronald Acuña's Dramatic Comeback
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. 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. ATLANTA, GA - MAY 12: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves stands on the field during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on May 12, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. ATLANTA, GA - MAY 12: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves stands on the field during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on May 12, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin D. Liles/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
Newsweek
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Yankees Castoff Faces Reckoning on Braves Future as $100 Million MVP Nears Return
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Alex Verdugo, who spent one disastrous year with the New York Yankees last season, entered free agency after collecting $9.2 million from the Yankees. Not only was no team willing to match or exceed that contract, Verdugo reportedly did not receive a single offer. That changed on March 20 when the Atlanta Braves signed Verdugo. But to get on the path back to the big leagues, the 28-year-old former Los Angeles Dodgers No. 1 prospect had to settle for a one-year, $1.5 million deal. But that wasn't all. Verdugo also had to agree to return to the minor leagues. PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 25: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves during the MLB game at Chase Field on April 25, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 25: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves during the MLB game at Chase Field on April 25, 2025 in Phoenix, April 17, the ex-Yankee finally got the call. He undoubtedly provided a spark. The Braves stood at a dismal 5-13 when Verdugo joined the team. Since then, Atlanta has won 16 of 24 games to finally reach the .500 mark prior to Wednesday's game hosting the Washington Nationals. Nonetheless, Verdugo's position on the Braves roster, and certainly in the team's starting lineup, remains in doubt. The reason can be summed up in three words: Ronald Acuña Jr. The 27-year-old, four-time All-Star missed most of last season with a torn ACL in his left knee — three years after suffering the same injury in his right one. But on Tuesday he finally played his first minor league rehab game — and homered. Acuña Jr. could now return to the majors in less than three weeks. And that means Verdugo, who has just 23 hits in 99 plate appearances and a sluggish .640 OPS, may find himself squeezed out. More MLB: Ex-Yankee With 'Off-Field Issues' Expected Back in Majors After Braves Shocker With Michael Harris II holding a firm grip on center field, competition for the third starting outfield spot comes down to Verdugo and Eli White, who is putting together a career year with an .842 OPS. Based on their current numbers, Verdugo should find his job in jeopardy. But according to Braves Fansided scribe Nick Halter, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker may demote White anyway. "White's hot start hasn't been trusted by Snitker, with the manager pulling the outfielder in multiple spots and continuing to put his bat at the bottom of the lineup," Halter wrote on Tuesday. The 30-year-old White is a 2016, 11th-round draft pick of the then-Oakland Athletics, out of Clemson. Verdugo was the Dodgers' second-round pick in 2014 and was so highly regarded as a prospect that he was a key piece sent to Boston in the 2020 trade for Mookie Betts. On the other hand, if Snitker makes his decision based on actual performance at the plate, rather than reputation and "trust," Verdugo will clearly be the odd man out in Atlanta. More MLB: Yankees Castoff Ignored in Free Agency May Soon Get Dumped by Braves
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mariners Game #40: 5/12/24, NYY at SEA
After a no good very bad series sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays and their fans, T-Mobile Park sees another invasion, this time of the pinstriped Bronx Bombers and their fans. On the one hand, it's nice to get these miserable homestands over with early and all at once, and on the other hand, I am GRUMPY. Lineups: News: It is Matt Brash's birthday. Happy birthday, Matt Brash. Captain's Log: Dan Wilson on Emerson Hancock's recent success: Advertisement 'His sinker has been very good, and his changeup off of that, and I know that they continue to work on that slider, but that's been a very good pitch for him as well. He's been able to command, he's been able to get ahead. It's his mindset: he's attacking the zone and controlling the count.' Game Information: Game time: 6:40 PT TV: ROOT Sports NW with Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink, who returns to us after a brief bout of illness. All hail Queen Angie. Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr. Today in Mariners History: 1984: Ex-Yankee Jim Beattie throttled his former team in a six-hit shutout as the Mariners won, 5-0. Rookie sensation Alvin Davis suffered a broken nose in the 5 th inning on a ground ball off the bat of NY's Steve Kemp. 2007: The Yankees crush the Mariners at Safeco Field, 7-2, but former Mariner Alex Rodriguez goes 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. 2012: The Yankees soundly defeat the Mariners at Yankee Stadium, 6-2, but former Mariner Alex Rodriguez goes 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Future Mariner Robinson Canó has an RBI single. More from
Newsweek
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Former Yankee Banished From Bronx Offers Explanation For Disastrous Season
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The saga of Alex Verdugo made for one of the most protracted dramas of the offseason. The 28-year-old veteran tested free agency for the first time after one season with the New York Yankees, and reportedly received zero offers. The Yankees themselves made no attempt to keep Verdugo around. The free agency nightmare for the onetime top prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers system finally ended March 20 when the Atlanta Braves offered him a $1.5 million, one year deal — a huge step down from the $9.2 million he made in his lone year with the Yankees. And the deal required that Verdugo start his season in the minor leagues. PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 27: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game at Chase Field on April 27, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 27: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game at Chase Field on April 27, 2025 in Phoenix, was finally called up by the Braves on April 17, and since then has been hitting at a respectable clip. After 14 games, he raised his OPS to .825. Though he has yet to hit a home run after 13 for the Yankees last year and the same number for the Boston Red Sox in 2023, Verdugo has collected an impressive 19 hits, including seven doubles, and six walks in 65 plate appearances. Whether Verdugo will stick in the Braves starting lineup, or with the team at all, once 2023 National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. returns from injury remains an open question. But for now, Verdugo seems to have righted his personal ship after a single year in the Bronx that can only be called a disaster. After a respectable April when he smacked four home runs and compiled a healthy .804 OPS for the month, the Tucson, Arizona, native appeared to fall off a cliff. He posted a .687 OPS in May and it was mostly downhill from there. More MLB: Ex-Yankee With 'Off-Field Issues' Expected Back in Majors After Braves Shocker His Yankees postseason offered no redemption. Across three series, he managed just 10 hits and seven walks in 56 trips to the plate, with only three extra-base hits, though one was a homer. Speaking to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Verdugo this week offered an explanation for the sorry, season-long performance that got him run out of the Bronx. "I deviated from my plan and got a little lost in my own self," Verdugo told the longtime MLB insider, explaining further that with the Yankees, he was overly focused on producing immediate results rather than exhibiting the plate discipline that had marked his hitting approach to that point. Rosenthal wrote on Tuesday that Verdugo became "too rotational" in his swing, leading to "weak contact." The Red Sox must have seen something about Verdugo's approach they didn't like. When they traded him to their arch-rival Yankees following the 2023 season — receiving righty pitchers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice in return — it was only the eighth trade between the two clubs since divisional play began in 1969. The 2024-2025 offseason saw one more Red Sox-Yankees trade, when New York sent catcher Carlos Narvaez to Boston in exchange for pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and cash. More MLB: Yankees Castoff Ignored in Free Agency May Soon Get Dumped by Braves
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Miller Gardner: Toxicology Report Determines Cause Of Death For Ex-Yankee's Son
Carbon monoxide poisoning killed the 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees star Brett Gardner, a Costa Rican official announced on Wednesday. A toxicology report confirmed lethal levels of carboxyhemoglobin ― a compound that forms in exposure cases ― in the blood of Miller Gardner, the official said in a statement reported by Miller died in a hotel room March 21 while on vacation in Costa Rica with his family. Randall Zúñiga, director of the Judicial Investigation Agency, said the autopsy found a 'layer' on the boy's organs that is normally present when someone is exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide, Associated Press reported. 'It's important to note that adjacent to this room is a dedicated machine room, where it's believed there may be some type of contamination toward these rooms,' Zúñiga said, per AP. Earlier this week Zúñiga pointed to carbon monoxide as the likely cause of death. The official added Wednesday that additional tests were conducted to detect substances such as fentanyl and they came back negative, according to The tragic circumstance and twists in the case grabbed the nation's attention for weeks. After the entire family felt unwell the previous night following dinner at a local restaurant, authorities initially believed the teen died of 'asphyxiation due to intoxication related to food poisoning. Then that was ruled out. Miller was an honor roll student who played baseball and football at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville, South Carolina, according to his obituary. A 'private celebration of life' for Miller is being planned, the obit reported. Brett Gardner played 14 years as an outfielder for the Yankees, including the World Series-winning 2009 season. Death Probe Of Ex-Yankee Star's Son Takes Another Disturbing Turn New Details Revealed On Cause Of Death Of Ex-Yankee Brett Gardner's Son (Update) Former Yankees Star Brett Gardner's Teen Son Dies After Unexpected Illness
