Ex-Red Sox Alex Verdugo Could Benefit From MLB’s Latest PED Suspension

The offseason was a challenging time for former Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo, but the 28-year-old’s patience could come rewarded in 2025.

It’ll all depend on whether or not Verdugo plays his card right, now as a member of the Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar was issued an 80-game suspension after testing positive for PEDs, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Monday. Profar signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Braves and was slated to play a key role for the club. Instead, the 2024 All-Star and Silver Slugger Award recipient will have to wait until June to return, which creates a void that’ll be especially felt as the Braves entered the season without star Ronald Acuña Jr. — who hasn’t played since suffering a torn Achilles last May.

Long story, short, Atlanta needs help. Profar’s untimely departure warrants the need for a dark horse to rise and contribute in the meantime, and on the organization’s current candidates list is none other than Verdugo. He signed a $1.5 million minor-league contract midway through spring training last month to avoid unemployment, marking the latest campaign in which Verdugo is due for a career-altering breakout.

The New York Yankees acquired Verdugo two offseasons ago in a rare trade with Boston, granting him an identical opportunity — and on an American League pennant-winning roster, no less. Still, Verdugo squandered his chance to leave a profitable impression on the Yankees as he slashed .233/.291/.356 with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs across 149 games played in New York’s pinstripes. Verdugo’s offensive production didn’t improve once the postseason began, and once the nine-year veteran struck out to record the last out of the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Verdugo’s walk out of the Yankee Stadium batter’s box represented his departure from the franchise.

Verdugo became useless to the Yankees — and most of baseball — once the offseason commenced. Besides links to the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates, there wasn’t a whole lot of noise surrounding Verdugo’s free agency. Even though Verdugo finished as a finalist for a Gold Glove Award last season, it wasn’t enough to clean the iffy reputation that’s followed Verdugo from Boston to New York, and now to Atlanta.

But this time, Verdugo’s luck might (undeservingly) work in his favor.

The Braves assigned Verdugo to Triple-A Gwinnett immediately following their one-year agreement. He hasn’t made an appearance with the minor league club yet, and with Profar gone for the next few months, it could be a matter of time until Verdugo is promoted to the big league team with yet another chance to break out.

Atlanta isn’t going to sit around and wait for Profar to return from his suspension. The team needs immediate contributions in order to compete in the National League, and if Verdugo unleashes a version of himself we’ve never seen before, the benefits will speak for themselves down the line this season and into next winter once Verdugo returns to the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

“It’s unfortunate, but we’ve got to play baseball,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said of Profar’s suspension, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. “I’m not going to harp on it. The Braves released something.”

Bryan De La Cruz, Smart Fairchild, Jarred Kelenic and Eli White are among the other depth outfield options Atlanta can choose from to help fill the void left in the wake of Profar’s absence. So even if Verdugo gets the nod, the demand to deliver will be immediate as the Braves will have several others to turn to if the left-hander fails to perform.