Alex Verdugo’s aspirations of making a comeback to Major League Baseball have been dealt a severe blow, casting doubt on his future in the sport. His status on a major-league roster is now more uncertain than ever.
The 29-year-old, who was on a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres, faces season-ending surgery due to a shoulder injury. As reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres have decided to release him following this setback.
Verdugo last appeared in a major-league game nearly 20 months ago, and if the 2027 season proceeds without interruption, it would mark a lengthy absence from top-tier baseball.
In March, Verdugo signed with the Padres, hoping to revive his career after a lackluster 2025 season with the Atlanta Braves. During that stint, he played in 56 games, achieving a career-low .585 OPS.
His struggles continued as no team picked him up after the Braves released him in July. At the time, his stats included a .239 batting average, .296 on-base percentage, and .289 slugging percentage, alongside a -0.3 bWAR, with no home runs in 213 plate appearances.
The Padres took a shot on him in spring training to add depth but he did not break camp with the team, and did not appear in any minor-league games with the team.
It’s unclear if the lack of minors game is tied to the potential shoulder issues.
It’s fair to wonder about his MLB future now since teams have essentially not deemed him worthy of a roster spot for the majority of the 2025 and ’26 seasons.
Verdugo’s career has trended in the wrong direction since the Red Sox traded the former second-round pick to the Yankees before the 2024 season.
He posted a .761 OPS in four seasons with the Red Sox, but tallied a .647 mark with the Yankees.
Verdugo started hot with the Bronx Bombers before enduring a brutal second half while hitting .233, his lowest mark for any full season.
Although the Yankees played him 149 times that season and throughout the playoffs, he signed just a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Braves in March 2025.
Verdugo began his career with the Dodgers before being traded to Boston in the Mookie Betts swap, and is a career .270/.326/.406 hitter in 856 games.