Alex Verdugo (OF, LAD) - Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo has seen his most extended look in the majors so far this year, and his production has been just about as good as one could have hoped. Through 61 games, Verdugo has a slash line of .291/.344/.457 and he’s maintained a remarkable strikeout rate of just 11.3%. Verdugo developed a reputation for his contact ability in the minors and that skillset seems to be translating extremely well in the majors.

He’s not going to provide much in the way of power and as long as he’s hitting sixth or lower in the Dodgers lineup, he won’t be driving in as many runs as you’d like. However, in any league where you need a boost in batting average, he can be a great source of help.

There may be some playing time concerns long term once A.J. Pollock returns to the team. Pollock has been sidelined since early May after undergoing surgery to clear up a staph infection in his right elbow and should be returning within the next month. While the Dodgers’ intention upon signing Pollock was certainly for him to be an everyday player for the team, he certainly has both durability and productivity concerns. He hasn’t played over 113 games in a season since 2015 and he struggled out of the gate this year, slashing .223/.287/.330. So if Verdugo continues to outperform Pollock, it’ll be tough for the Dodgers to justify benching him.

For NL-only leagues and leagues of 12 teams or larger, Verdugo is a great add to provide steady help in batting average at least for the short term while Pollock remains out. In more shallow leagues, he can be left on waivers unless we see him move up closer to the top of the order.