{"id":53720,"date":"2025-05-08T01:03:42","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T01:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720"},"modified":"2025-05-08T01:03:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T01:03:42","slug":"braves-new-outfielders-future-in-jeopardy-as-acunas-return-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720","title":{"rendered":"Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250507_181345_0000.png?w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250507_181345_0000.png?w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250507_181345_0000.png?w=1100&amp;quality=15&amp;strip=all 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/20250507_181345_0000.png?w=1350&amp;quality=35&amp;strip=all 1350w\" alt=\"Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Atlanta Braves\u2018 newest outfielder, Alex Verdugo, may be running out of time with his team, again.<\/p>\n<p>Just weeks after clawing his way back to a major league roster, the former Yankees and Red Sox outfielder faces an uncertain future in Atlanta. According to a report from The Athletic\u2019s Ken Rosenthal, Verdugo may be on the chopping block once Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. returns from knee surgery later this month.<\/p>\n<p>And with limited options and limited production, he may be out of chances.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>A Fall from Grace \u2014 and a Last Chance<\/h2>\n<p>Verdugo\u2019s offseason was already a red flag. The outfielder entered free agency for the first time \u2014 and heard nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Not one offer. Not until March 20, just a week before Opening Day.<\/p>\n<p>Verdugo\u2019s stint with the Yankees in 2024 didn\u2019t help his case. Acquired in a high-profile trade with Boston, he was expected to provide consistency and edge to the lineup. Instead, he posted career lows in batting average (.233) and OPS (.647) across 621 plate appearances. He struck out 93 times and managed just 13 home runs \u2014 a steep drop for someone playing in the hitter-friendly AL East.<\/p>\n<p>His postseason performance didn\u2019t spark much confidence either, delivering just 10 hits and seven walks in 56 trips to the plate. Combined with rumors of off-field friction, Verdugo entered free agency with declining numbers and a reputation that may have cooled his market.<\/p>\n<p>He eventually signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Braves \u2014 a steep drop from the $9.2 million the Yankees paid him last season. Verdugo could\u2019ve declined the Triple-A assignment with no minor league options left. But he didn\u2019t. He reported to Gwinnett, put his head down, and waited.<\/p>\n<p>On April 17, he got the call back to the majors. It may have only bought him time.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Forces a Reckoning<\/h2>\n<p>With former MVP Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. nearing a return, the Braves outfield is about to get crowded. Center field belongs to Michael Harris II. Acu\u00f1a will take the right. That leaves left field \u2014 currently Verdugo\u2019s spot \u2014 up for grabs between him and Eli White.<\/p>\n<p>And here\u2019s the problem: <strong>White is raking<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Rosenthal laid out the numbers:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Alex Verdugo:<\/strong> .304\/.361\/.393 (.754 OPS) in 13 games<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eli White:<\/strong> .304\/.350\/.571 (.921 OPS) in 25 games<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Same batting average, but White is delivering more power and impact, and doing it with a 30-year-old\u2019s urgency. This is his first real breakout, and the Braves might not want to slam that door shut.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Verdugo\u2019s Track Record vs. White\u2019s Momentum<\/h2>\n<p>Verdugo still brings value: a solid contact bat, playoff experience, and nine seasons of major league service. But this isn\u2019t about career r\u00e9sum\u00e9s \u2014 it\u2019s about fit, flexibility, and upside.<\/p>\n<p>White\u2019s athleticism gives Atlanta more defensive versatility. Verdugo doesn\u2019t offer much pop or speed. And if it comes down to tools vs. track record, Braves manager Brian Snitker may side with the hot hand \u2014 especially in a pennant chase.<\/p>\n<p>That could mean benching Verdugo. Or worse: designating him for assignment. With no options left and a quiet market behind him, there may not be another soft landing this time.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>A Decision Is Coming<\/h2>\n<p>Barring an injury, someone will lose their spot when Acu\u00f1a returns. And the odds are stacked unless Verdugo rediscovers his early-career spark \u2014 or White cools off dramatically.<\/p>\n<p>Verdugo bet on himself when he signed with Atlanta. But time may be running out on that gamble.<\/p>\n<p>Alvin Garcia Alvin Garcia is a Puerto Rican MLB writer for Heavy.com. His work has appeared on FanSided, LWOS, NewsBreak, Athlon Sports, and Yardbarker, with coverage spanning all teams across the league. More about Alvin Garcia<\/p>\n<h2>More Heavy on Braves News<\/h2>\n<p>Loading more stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Verdugo may be the odd man out in Atlanta once Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. returns \u2014 and his numbers might not be enough to save him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":53721,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alex Verdugo may be the odd man out in Atlanta once Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. returns \u2014 and his numbers might not be enough to save him.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-08T01:03:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-08T080331.341.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720\",\"name\":\"Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-08T080331.341.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-08T01:03:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-08T01:03:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-08T080331.341.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-08T080331.341.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":900},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\",\"name\":\"MrThanh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrThanh\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms - NEWS USA","og_description":"Alex Verdugo may be the odd man out in Atlanta once Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. returns \u2014 and his numbers might not be enough to save him.","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-05-08T01:03:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-08T080331.341.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrThanh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrThanh","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720","name":"Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-08T080331.341.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-08T01:03:42+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-08T01:03:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-08T080331.341.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-08T080331.341.jpg","width":900,"height":900},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53720#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Braves New Outfielder\u2019s Future in Jeopardy as Acu\u00f1a\u2019s Return Looms"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec","name":"MrThanh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrThanh"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53722,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53720\/revisions\/53722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/53721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=53720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=53720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}