As the centerpiece of the Mookie Betts trade, all eyes have been on Alex Verdugo from the moment he set foot in Ft. Myers last month. The former Dodger and new Red Sox outfielder missed the final month and a half of the season in 2019 with a back injury that also kept him out of the NLDS, which Los Angeles went on to lose in five games.
While most outside observers believed that Verdugo was healed enough from his ailments at the time of the trade such that he’d be ready for spring training, once Grapefruit League games began in late February it was revealed by both the player and the team that his injury was more serious than initially thought.