Aaron Boone needs to stop forcing Alex Verdugo into Yankees' cleanup spot

Remember earlier this season when Alex Verdugo emerged as the New York Yankees' everyday cleanup hitter. Manager Aaron Boone said it was expected to be a regular lineup spot for the former Red Sox slugger, but then weeks went by and the "dawg" disappeared.

Boone is still in denial about Verdugo, too. In his recent appearance on Talkin' Yanks, the hosts suggested Verdugo was slumping again after going 0-for-10 over the weekend and sitting for the finale, but Boone refuted to state the usual. "He's getting some good swings in."

That might be true, but the production still isn't there, which makes Boone's decision to hit Verdugo cleanup in the second game of the Yankees' doubleheader against the Angels all the more insane.

Over his last 28 days, Verdugo is hitting ,207 with a .556 OPS. He has just seven extra-base hits (all doubles) and five RBI. He heated up for a moment during the series against the Red Sox at Fenway, but that was it. Since the start of June, he has just 47 hits (two homers) and 21 RBI across 54 games.

Under no circumstances should he be protecting Aaron Judge in the lineup. But even with Giancarlo Stanton healthy and playing, Boone went for it on Wednesday, only to watch the entire lineup suffer. Sure, it was the second game of a doubleheader, so it's not like everybody was as fresh as could be, but that's all the more reason to go with your best possible lineup and not mess around against an improved Carson Fulmer, who has been pitching well for Anaheim.

Why is Alex Verdugo still hitting cleanup for the Yankees?

Verdugo as a cleanup hitter in 49 games this year is not good. He's hitting .222 with a .623 OPS. It worked for a moment, but now it's time for Boone to stick with Stanton and Austin Wells. There's nothing else to "try" anymore.

Verdugo, in some instances, is still putting some decent bat on ball. He clocked two doubles in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader in the leadoff spot. He's in the 98th percentile for squaring up pitches. He does a great job of not striking out or whiffing. But every other advanced metric aligns with what's right in front of us: Verdugo is an underwhelming hitter who should be used to break up the righties in the lineup or provide length in the back end. He can't have a premier spot protecting the team's best bats.

Fans are just hoping Wednesday was the last attempt to experiment with Verdugo batting fourth. Doubleheaders are almost always splits and the Yankees were playing with house money in the nighttime slot.

Oh yeah, and Gleyber Torres isn't a leadoff hitter, either (.217 AVG, .557 OPS in 16 games). Time to figure that out, too.

(Whispers) Jasson Dominguez time.