Verdugo 'excited' for a more normal '21

A year ago, Alex Verdugo was just trying to regain his health after suffering a stress fracture in his back the previous season with the Dodgers. During the original Spring Training of 2020, he didn’t see much besides the training room and the indoor batting cages.

Then came the pandemic-induced delay, which lasted three months, and Verdugo worked out in solitude in Fort Myers, Fla., doing everything he could to be ready for when the season started.

It’s hard to believe it now, but Verdugo was a platoon player when things finally got underway last July 24 and wasn’t even in the starting lineup on Opening Night.

But with each day, he grew on his new team and his new fan base with big hits, great plays in the outfield and many exuberant displays of emotion.

This season, some of those fans will even be able to watch him play, as Fenway Park will start the season at 12 percent capacity.

Heading into the 2021 season, Verdugo is front and center for the Red Sox instead of a mystery. Forget about platooning.

Verdugo will bat second and rotate between center and right field for manager Alex Cora. In Tuesday’s 7-6 win over the Braves, Verdugo went 1-for-3 and scored twice.

He has established himself as a core player for the Red Sox, and has no concerns about his slow Spring Training offensively (.185/.324/.222, no homers).

“If you go performance-wise and batting average-wise, it’s not quite how I would want it,” Verdugo said. “But physically, I’m in a lot better position than I was last year. Right now, it’s just getting some at-bats and I’ve been having better at-bats, working the count deep. Maybe on 3-2, some pitches have gotten me. But I’m feeling really good at where I’m at. We have eight more days or something until we’re in Boston.”

Verdugo, No. 99 on your roster, can’t wait for that.

“We’re all excited to have fans back, excited to get back into this normalcy,” Verdugo said. “Excited to get back to this normal life we live in. Obviously this year, we know we can be pretty good and competitive. We’re just kind of keeping a positive mindset. Everyone is working and doing what we need to do.”

Though still young at 24 years old, Verdugo has already made an impression on some of his veteran teammates.

“He’s young, but he really understands what he wants to do out there at the plate,” said Red Sox starter Garrett Richards. “Great approach. He's working on stuff right now. His locker is by mine in the locker room so we talk quite a bit. I was just really impressed with how he carries himself.

“I remember him last year, where you guys were asking him about him trying to fill Mookie Betts’ shoes and him just simply saying like, ‘I’m not trying to fill anybody’s shoes, I’m just here to play my game and be me.’ I think from that moment on I was kind on him, and everything has been as advertised since I got here. He worries about what he’s got to do and how he can help the team. I've been very, very impressed with that, especially from a young player.”

Richards credits up-tempo performance to ‘Tek
Not only did Richards pitch effectively for most of his performance on Tuesday against the Braves, but he worked quickly.

You can thank former Sox catcher and current game planning coordinator Jason Varitek for that.

“Me and ‘Tek have been talking about the pace, and I've just been trying to make hitters uncomfortable by being fast,” said Richards. “Not only does it give me less time to think about stuff, which I think is better, but it helps me make pitches and correct pitches pitch to pitch, so it's a really good way for me to kind of keep my pace going and keep everything moving in the right direction.”

While Richards continues to gain a strong rapport with catcher Christian Vázquez, he thinks having one of the best catchers in Red Sox history at his daily disposal in Varitek is an added bonus.

“He is tremendous,” Richards said of Varitek. “Obviously he played in the league for a long time and has a lot of knowledge, so I’ve just been kind of picking his brain seeing on what he's sees that I’m doing and things that I can get better at. He’s been a great resource. I've really enjoyed so far talking pitching with him, and you know, getting the catchers perspective at the same time, so I'll continue to lean on him. He's a great resource.”

Hitting heroics
The Red Sox continue to swing the bat well in just about every game of Spring Training. In scoring seven runs on Tuesday, they got a homer from Xander Bogaerts, three more hits from leadoff man Kiké Hernández and a two-hit performance (including a double) by top bounce-back candidate J.D. Martinez.

“That’s who we are and what we’re going to do,” said Cora. “But I believe we’re going to do more than just hit home runs. At the same time I know we’re leading Florida in home runs, but we’re second in on-base percentage, OPS, all the other stuff that matters. We’re on top. And we’re not striking out that much, which is very important. We can put the ball in play. From top to bottom, we do believe we can put together competitive at-bats. And we can score in different ways.”

E-Rod checks in OK
A day after lefty Eduardo Rodriguez lacked his usual command and velocity in two innings against the Rays and then finished his day by pitching two simulated innings in the bullpen, Cora said his ace seemed to be fine physically.

“Eduardo just walked in, normal,” said Cora. “Obviously we'll check on him in the training room. We do feel after yesterday and talking to [trainer] Brad [Pearson] this morning that he should be OK for his bullpen, and obviously, for his progression.”

Rodriguez’s final start of Spring Training is scheduled for Saturday in Bradenton, Fla., against the Pirates.

Up next
The Red Sox will play their first night game of Spring Training on Wednesday at home against the Orioles. Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi will get the start. This will be Franchy Cordero’s first home game of the spring, and he is expected to get the start in left field. First pitch at JetBlue Park is scheduled for 6:05 p.m ET.