Verdugo went 2-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored in Thursday's 10-9 loss to the Orioloes.
Verdugo batted leadoff and helped erase an early 1-0 deficit with a triple to open the bottom half of the first inning. He's expected to bat leadoff whenever the Red Sox face a right-hander.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: In mix at leadoff versus righties
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Verdugo and Triston Casas will both be used in the leadoff spot versus right-handed pitching this season, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Ian Browne of MLB.com on Friday.
Cora plans to "mix and match" in the leadoff spot, at least initially, until someone shows they can handle it regularly. Enrique Hernandez and Christian Arroyo will get looks in the leadoff spot versus left-handers. Whoever is batting leadoff that particular day will be followed by Rafael Devers, Justin Turner and Masataka Yoshida.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: May run more in 2023
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Boston manager Alex Cora mentioned Verdugo and Enrique Hernandez as players he'd like to see steal more bases this season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
With the addition of bigger bases -- the distance between bases is reduced by four-and-a-half inches -- along with a new limit on the number of pickoff attempts per batter, Cora is hoping the Red Sox can take advantage. Verdugo stole one base (but was caught three times) in 2022 and swiped six the previous year. The manager plans to have his staff emphasize certain baserunning techniques to improve the team's production in that category. Boston ranked next-to-last in 2021 with 40 steals and 26th last season with 52. Cora also wants to be careful not to get too reckless at Fenway Park, a venue that has historically boosted offense and made baserunners more valuable.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Settles with Boston
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Verdugo agreed to a one-year, $6.3 million contract with the Red Sox on Friday to avoid arbitration, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Verdugo had a .280/.328/.405 slash line with 11 home runs and 74 RBI in 152 games for Boston last season. He's entering his penultimate season before becoming eligible for free agency in 2025.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Takes seat Sunday
Rotowire
Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Verdugo has an .860 OPS with two home runs, four doubles and eight RBI over his past 11 contests and will step out of the lineup for Sunday's game. Abraham Almonte will take over in right field for the series finale at Toronto.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Leads offense in win
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Verdugo went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Orioles.
Verdugo accounted for two of Boston's three runs Wednesday with an RBI single in the bottom of the first to put the Red Sox up 1-0 and a solo home run in the sixth to improve the lead to 3-0. The long ball was his 11th on the season and fourth in September. Verdugo is slashing .284/.332/.412 through 146 games this season with 70 runs and 74 RBI.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Out of Sunday's lineup
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Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Verdugo has a modest five-game hit streak during which he's gone 7-for-21 with a home run, five RBI and nine strikeouts, but he'll take a seat Sunday with lefty Nestor Cortes pitching for New York. Rob Refsnyder will start in center field and bat fifth in the series finale.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Brings Sox back briefly
Rotowire
Verdugo went 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run home run in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Yankees.
With two strikes on him, Verdugo didn't offer at a 99.4 mph four-seamer from Gerrit Cole, which was called a ball. He then belted the next pitch -- 99.5 mph fastball -- that caught too much of the plate to knot the game at four runs apiece in the sixth inning. After the frame, both Cole and New York manager Aaron Boone were ejected for arguing the pitch before the blast. The homer was Verdugo's 10th and gave him 70 RBI, which ranks second on the team behind Rafael Devers.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Out of Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Verdugo is not in Sunday's lineup against the Royals.
Verdugo is hitting .263/.354/.386 with two home runs in 14 games this month. Rob Refsnyder is getting the start in right field, batting fifth.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Scores twice in win
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Verdugo went 2-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's win over Baltimore.
Verdugo scored on a Rafael Devers homer in the first inning, then again on a Devers single in the fourth. Verdugo also knocked in Kevin Plawecki on a fourth-inning single of his own. The outfielder has six multi-hit performances this month and has racked up two homers, three RBI and 10 runs scored. Over that span, he is slashing .333/.409/.513.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Swats homer among three hits
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Verdugo went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, two additional runs and a walk in Thursday's 9-8 win over the Rangers.
Verdugo launched Boston's only home run in the contest, belting a solo shot to center field in the sixth inning. The outfielder reached base three additional times and scored twice more to continue his prolonged hot stretch at the plate. Since Aug. 5, Verdugo is batting .378 (37-for-98) with two homers, 10 RBI and 20 runs over 25 games.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Stays hot with two hits
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Verdugo went 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 10-5 loss to Minnesota.
Verdugo was a big part of Boston's offense Tuesday as he accounted for three of its five runs on the night. The multi-hit effort was his seventh in the last 13 games, a streak in which he is batting a robust .352. On the season, the 26-year-old is slashing .284/.329/.403 as he has been one of the bright spots in what has been a disappointing season for Boston.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: On bench Thursday
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Verdugo is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.
Verdugo started the past 17 games and will receive Thursday off after posting a .977 OPS with one home run, eight doubles, six RBI and 12 runs during that stretch. Rob Refsnyder will start in right field and bat sixth.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Three hits in win
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Verdugo went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored in Wednesday's victory over Pittsburgh.
Verdugo extended Boston's lead to two with an RBI double off righty Roansy Contreras with one out in the fifth. While the 26-year-old has not hit for power in 2022, he has been much better of late with a .580 slugging percentage in 50 at-bats across his last 15 games. In addition, the outfielder has been red hot at home during that stretch with a 1.226 OPS in 19 at-bats compared to a still strong .916 OPS in 31 at-bats on the road.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Smacks seventh homer
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Verdugo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Royals.
This was Verdugo's second straight multi-hit effort after he opened August 1-for-12 in his first four contests. He accounted for the Red Sox's last run in the game, a sixth-inning blast off Royals starter Daniel Lynch. Verdugo continues to provide steady hitting in the middle of the order against mostly right-handers. Overall, he's slashing .271/.311/.385 with seven homers, 53 RBI, 42 runs scored, a stolen base and 24 doubles through 424 plate appearances this year.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Doubles twice in three-hit game
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Verdugo went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk and two runs scored in Friday's 7-4 win over the Royals.
Verdugo had gone just 3-for-20 (.150) with nine strikeouts in six games since his last multi-hit effort. The 26-year-old outfielder snapped the slump with a second-inning double, and added another two-bagger in the fourth and a single in the seventh. He's up to a .269/.310/.376 slash line with six home runs, 52 RBI, 41 runs scored, a stolen base and 24 doubles through 101 contests. With Jackie Bradley released and Franchy Cordero optioned to Triple-A Worcester, Verdugo should see the bulk of the starts in right field versus right-handed pitchers.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Sitting versus lefty
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Verdugo is out of the lineup for Thursday's game at Kansas City, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Verdugo started the past 25 games and posted a .603 OPS during that stretch, and he'll take a seat Thursday with southpaw Kris Bubic pitching for the Royals. Jaylin Davis will start in right field and bat leadoff.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Gets another start as No. 5 hitter
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Verdugo will start in left field and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Brewers, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
With the Red Sox facing a left-handed starting pitcher (Aaron Ashby) for the second day in a row, the lefty-hitting Verdugo will once again occupy the No. 5 spot in the lineup after having hit either second or third in his prior seven starts. Verdugo has been a solid source of batting average in July (.280), but his counting stats (zero home runs, one stolen base, eight RBI and six runs) over his 25 starts this month have left much to be desired.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Notches first steal of 2022
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Verdugo went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Monday's 10-5 loss to the Rays.
The Red Sox got busy on the basepaths, going 3-for-3 on steal attempts with Francisco Mejia behind the plate for the Rays, and as a result Verdugo picked up his first pilfer of the year on the back half of a double steal with Xander Bogaerts in the fifth inning. Verdugo has also produced multiple hits in three straight games, continuing a hot streak that has seen the 26-year-old slash .333/.393/.444 over his last 20 contests with two homers, nine runs and 14 RBI.
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Red Sox's Alex Verdugo: Big hits late in win
Rotowire
Verdugo went 3-for-5 with three RBI in Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Yankees.
Verdugo knocked in the game-tying run with an eighth-inning single, then drove home two runs in the bottom of the 10th inning for a walkoff win. These were the first runs driven in during the month of July for Verdugo, who ranks third on the Red Sox with 46 RBI.
