TAMPA — When the Yankees wrapped up their disappointing 2023 season, Aaron Judge discussed some of the organizational and clubhouse changes he wanted to see moving forward.
Most of that Oct. 1 group interview focused on how the Yankees use and communicate analytics. But Judge, who returned from a torn toe ligament that had not fully healed over the summer, also made it known that he expects his teammates to play through tolerable pain.
“When you’re playing 162 games, you’ve got to grind,” said the captain, who recently reiterated that his toe will likely require constant maintenance for the rest of his career. “You’ve got to play through things. I think there are certain things you can’t put a number on.”
That belief is why Judge pushed the Yankees to acquire Alex Verdugo from the Red Sox over the offseason. The 27-year-old outfielder has been a league average or slightly better hitter the last few years, and he comes with some baggage.
But Judge appreciates his toughness.
“I’ve been preaching for years, ‘You gotta try to get that guy,’” Judge said earlier this week. “He’s a gamer. He’s a competitor. He plays hard. I’ve seen him play through injuries. I know he was a little banged up even last year. I think he had a couple of things going on, but every single time we played him, he was out there hustling and doing his thing.”
On Thursday, Verdugo declined to say what he played through last year.
“I play through sh-t every year, man,” Verdugo said. “I’m not a guy that if I have a bruised heel, or my shoulder’s hanging a little bit — I play through it. We work with what we have that day and I try to put forth the best of myself in the circumstances, but, yeah, I push through whatever. I don’t really want to go into what [the injuries] were, but whatever nagging things I have, whether it’s a bigger issue or a smaller issue, we just keep playing.”
Other Yankees noticed Verdugo’s grit and recruited him as well. Whenever they played the Red Sox over the years, Anthony Rizzo would drop hints when Verdugo reached first base.
“Like, ‘Hey, bro, we’re trying to get you,’” Verdugo recalled of his conversations with Rizzo. “I’d just tell him, ‘Nah, no way man. No way.’ But soon as I came over here, Rizz was like, ‘I told you so.’
“It’s cool to know that some guys have been pushing for me to come over here and they like the way I play and the kind of flair that I bring.”
Verdugo added that he and Willie Calhoun, who played for the Yankees in 2023, have been friends since their days as Dodgers prospects. Verdugo reasoned that some of the more influential veterans in the team’s clubhouse asked Calhoun about him last year.
“I was talking to them a little bit kind of through him,” Verdugo said.
While Judge always saw Verdugo hustling in Boston, Alex Cora would surely disagree with that assessment.
The Red Sox manager benched Verdugo on two occasions last year, once for failing to hustle and once for arriving late to the ballpark. When asked if the injuries he played through contributed to a lack of hustle, Verdugo replied, “probably partially a little bit.”
“But effort’s one thing we can always control,” he continued.
When Verdugo held an introductory Zoom call over the offseason, he threw some not-so-subtle shade at Cora. Verdugo, unpromoted, praised Aaron Boone’s reputation for standing by his players before adding, “Instead of airing people out, have their backs.”
On Thursday, Verdugo took a more diplomatic approach when talking about Cora.
“In certain ways, AC was hard on me,” he admitted. “But I don’t have any hard feelings toward him. It’s just one of those things, man. I think toward the end we kind of ran our course out a little bit, but as a person outside of baseball, man, I loved him. I loved his kids. His family was awesome. His kids hung out with my kids, so it’s one of those things that’s a little bit weird because outside of the game, he was great. I mean, even as a manager, he’s a good manager. It’s just we were clashing heads a little bit toward that end. I hope him the best.”
Verdugo went on to say that he’s happy to be a Yankee. He’s repeatedly talked about the trade representing a fresh start for him, something Boone agreed with.
“He walks in here with a blank slate as a guy that a lot of people in that room have a lot of respect for,” said Boone, who happens to be close with Cora.
The plan is for Verdugo to play left field at Yankee Stadium, where that section of the outfield is more spacious than right. Verdugo played right at Fenway Park; the corner outfield spot he plays on the road will likely depend on dimensions. Juan Soto — or even Giancarlo Stanton — will play the less challenging position.
As for the lineup, Verdugo offers some versatility. Depending on matchups, the lefty-swinger could bat closer to the bottom of the order. Boone has made it known that he wants DJ LeMahieu to be the team’s primary leadoff hitter, but Verdugo may bat first against some righties.
Verdugo owns a .281/.337/.428 slash line with 152 doubles, 10 triples, 57 homers, 255 RBI and a 105 OPS+ for his seven-year career. But Boone thinks he’s just “scratching the surface,” and he hopes that Verdugo’s impending free agency will serve as motivation.
“When he goes to swing at a pitch, he can lay the barrel of the bat on the ball,” Boone said. “That’s always kind of been a calling card of his going back to when he was a prospect with the Dodgers. But I also think there’s some thump in there. There’s probably more to tap into. I don’t want him to go chase that necessarily. I want him to just be a good hitter in what we hope’s a really good lineup, but I do feel like there’s a lot more in there.”
Verdugo, meanwhile, is looking to pick the brains of his new teammates. With Judge, Soto, LeMahieu and Stanton now in his clubhouse, the newcomer noted that he can learn from former MVPs and batting champs.
“I’m just trying to soak it all in,” Verdugo said.
