Yankees Outfielder ‘Almost Certainly a Pinstripe One-And Done,’ per Columnist

The New York Yankees made the offseason’s biggest move when they acquired superstar slugger Juan Soto in a trade with the San Diego Padres. And then they fortified their outfield even more by trading with the Boston Red Sox to acquire Alex Verdugo.

But as the Yankees sputtered into the All-Star break, Verdugo settled around a .235/.292/.378 slash line for the season so far. Following a stark defensive miscue against the rival Baltimore Orioles in the last game before the break, Joel Sherman of the New York Post declared that this is most likely to be Verdugo’s sole year in a Yankees uniform.

“Verdugo, who metaphorically and literally finished the first half face down in left field at Camden Yards, is just a space filler,” Sherman wrote. “In his walk season, he is almost certainly a pinstripe one-and-done.”

Verdugo agreed to a one-year, $8.7 million deal to avoid arbitration before the season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this winter. The Yankees are already on the hook for long-term payouts to several veterans, including $280 million for Aaron Judge, $144 million for Gerrit Cole, $81 million for Giancarlo Stanton and $30 million for DJ LeMahieu.

Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner remains set on signing Soto to a long-term deal as well, so there doesn’t appear to be much payroll flexibility to offer Verdugo.

Related: Yankees Remain ‘Steadfast’ as Juan Soto Likely to Demand $600M

Instead, the Yankees could promote one of their top two prospects to join the outfield alongside Judge and Soto. Jasson Domínguez has been recovering from Tommy John surgery this season, but he hit four home runs in his eight-game MLB debut last year. And the team has been steadfast in withholding fellow top-ranked prospect Spencer Jones from prospective trades this season.

As for Verdugo, he hasn’t been doing himself many favors in hopes of landing a lucrative long-term deal with the Yankees or any other team moving forward. Even while hitting alongside two of the best sluggers of their generation, he looks to be declining in his age-28 season.

“The Yankees had hoped hitting alongside Judge and Soto, as well as other veterans like Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo, would take some pressure off Verdugo,” Sherman’s Post colleague, Dan Martin reported . “Verdugo is on track to put up some of the worst numbers of his career — including OPS and OPS-plus and his on-base percentage, down again, has dropped every year since 2021.”

Related: Yankees Face Steep Price in Blockbuster Trade for MLB Strikeout Leader