Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo said Monday he has recovered from his spinal injury and will be ready for the season if Major League Baseball moves forward with a campaign.
Verdugo has been recovering from a stress fracture, stemming from a back injury he sustained last season as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Whenever the season is, I think I’ll be ready,” Verdugo said during a conference call on Monday. “If they say that we’re ready to go, then I’m out there.”
Verdugo was the key piece in the deal that saw Boston send star outfielder Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in February. The Red Sox also dealt left-hander David Price and cash to Los Angeles while getting back Verdugo along with two minor-leaguers, shortstop Jeter Downs and catcher Connor Wong.
The 23-year-old Verdugo batted .294 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs in 106 games last season but didn’t play after Aug. 4 after an oblique injury that led to a stint on the injured list.
While working his way back, Verdugo hurt his back on Sept. 2, aggravating an injury he first sustained in May.
With the start of the 2020 season delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Verdugo has had additional time to recover. He began working out at Boston’s spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., last week once the facility reopened.
Verdugo is ready to hit the field — he said he would prefer fans in the stands, even if they boo — but the idea of players being quarantined doesn’t appeal to him.
“The athlete in me, the player in me, I want to play,” Verdugo said. “I want to be out in the field. That’s where I love to be. It doesn’t seem logical to me to separate families or to make players quarantine. That’s a little tough to grab my mind around.”
