Former Los Angeles Dodgers top prospect Alex Verdugo’s long nightmare is over. After being dealt from the Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox in 2020 as part of the infamous Mookie Betts trade, then traded again — this time by Boston to its archrival New York Yankees — the 28-year-old finally got his first chance to cash in via free agency after last season.

It didn’t go well.

Coming off a one-year, $9.2 million contract with the Yankees, despite a down year at the plate in which he posted his lowest OPS of any season in which he has played at least 30 games (.647), Verdugo clearly expected to do better with his free agent contract. According to some reports, he actually turned down a potential offer of $8 million from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But that was the best Verdugo was able to do — and the existence of that offer has not been independently confirmed. The Yankees showed no interest in bringing him back and neither did any other team. He sat at home until there was only one week left in spring training.

That’s when the Atlanta Braves, a team coming off seven straight postseason appearances including a World Series victory in 2021, offered Verdugo a $1.5 million deal that would require him to start the season in the minor leagues.

Verdugo took it. Now, nearly a month after signing, the Tucson, Arizona, native is finally back in the big leagues, thanks to the struggling Braves’ desperation to fill their outfield slots.

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Starting the season with seven straight losses, and winning only five of their next 11, the Braves obviously face a variety of issues, but the outfield may be Atlanta’s most acute problem. Ronald Acuña Jr., the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year and 2023 MVP, remains out after knee surgery, and 2022 Rookie of the Year Michael Harris II has suffered a steep drop in his offensive production, with a .722 OPS last season and only .507 to start the current one.

Their biggest offseason free agent pickup, former San Diego Padre Jurickson Profar, received an 80-game suspension over alleged performance enhancing drug use, dealing another blow to the Atlanta outfield.

Jarred Kelenic, picked up in trade from the Seattle Mariners in the 2023-2024 offseason, has proven to be a liability as well, starting the season with an anemic slash line of .146./.239/.244.

Now, the Braves will give Verdugo a try. Like Kelenic, Verdugo bats left-handed, meaning that he will probably take playing time from the struggling 25-year-old.

The Braves have an off day on Thursday before opening a home series against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. The Braves have not yet confirmed whether Verdugo will be in the lineup, but it seems to be a good bet that he will make his Braves debut in that game.

Despite his struggles at the plate last season, Verdugo still played defense at a high level. His eight defensive runs saved ranked him second among all MLB left fielders, behind only the 10 recorded by Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians.

Verdugo is out of minor league options, so if he does not catch on with the Braves, he faces the possibility of simply being designated for assignment.

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