The Alex Verdugo experiment must come to an end

Left field has been a black hole for the Atlanta Braves and absolutely nothing they try seems to be working.

Coming into the season, the club thought they had the answer in Jurickson Profar, but a PED suspension just four games into his Braves career really put the organization in a bind. It forced Atlanta to turn to Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz in everyday capacities, who combined for -0.9 WAR before being optioned to AAA Gwinnett.

In their place, Eli White and Alex Verdugo have taken over the position, and for a few weeks, they were helping the Braves win games. White had a more than respectable .294 average and .810 OPS over a 30-game stretch from April 14th to May 18th, and Verdugo was on fire after the Braves called him up in mid-April, hitting .322 with an .825 OPS over his first 14 games with club.

However, since then, both have cooled down considerably. White has just two hits in his last 13 games — good for a .067 batting average and .233 OPS. However, he did hit a critical home run in last night’s game against the Brewers. Meanwhile, Verdugo is hitting just .200 over his last 30 games with absolutely no power to speak of, leading to a .479 OPS.

Both have been rather horrific, but White at least brings something to the table in the field and on the basepaths. Verdugo is below average in all three areas, and it’s fair to wonder if the current platoon is actually negatively affecting White’s offensive output. He’s been a reverse splits guy all season, recording an .807 OPS against right-handed pitchers compared to a .421 OPS against lefties, which is what he’s primarily faced over this rough stretch while Verdugo hits against righties.

The Braves don’t really have an option to replace Alex Verdugo with in Gwinnett right now. Bryan De La Cruz elected free agency after he was optioned, and Jarred Kelenic has not been good for the Stripers since he was demoted. Perhaps they consider a player like Carlos Rodriguez, who is hitting .295 in Gwinnett this year, or they could just wait to designate Verdugo for assignment once Jurickson Profar returns from his suspension.

However, what the Braves can’t continue to do is start Alex Verdugo against right-handed pitching. Those at-bats should go to Eli White, who, even amid his struggles, has proven to be a much more valuable everyday option than Verdugo this season.