Michael Kay calls out Alex Verdugo's entitled jog in low moment of Yankees' season

When there are no consequences, you can live anyway you want to on the diamond. If everything is tolerated, nothing matters. And, if nothing matters, then why would the Yankees bother scratching and clawing back from 5-0 down against Nathan Eovaldi and the under-.500 Rangers?

If Alex Verdugo has job past September 1, and seemingly in perpetuity, why would he need to express any degree of dedication after his 250th rollover grounder of the season?

Sorry; "250th" was just a joke. Just a little joke. It was actually his 300th low-impact dribbler.

Since we now, formally, know that there's no way he'll get himself Verdu-gone until the end of the season (or, at the earliest, with 12 games left in the campaign), the time for feigning a dawg-like attitude has officially ended. Verdugo's spot in the lineup is safe. Jasson Dominguez can homer all he wants in Syracuse; he's not coming to the show. Aaron Boone already deployed his one (1) benching of the year on Gleyber Torres way back in early August.

Nothing's coming Verdugo's way, and besides, the Yankees are down by five, anyway. Who comes back from down five? Five's, like, 100. Hey, get 'em tomorrow, Cap. I'm not gonna get 'em today.

Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo is secure enough in his position to walk to first

Shoutout to Michael Kay, who pulled no punches after Clay Holmes' disaster on Tuesday night, plainly stating on his radio show Wednesday afternoon, "You cannot close with this guy."

On Wednesday night, he didn't wait until the postgame or the Thursday recap. He immediately wondered if anything was "wrong" with Verdugo when he spotted him giving up on a play -- admittedly an easy out, but also admittedly a terrible look when you're in the position the much-maligned outfielder currently is.

We know the Yankees don't envision a "lane" for Dominguez's contributions (while they convert Jon Berti to the outfield), and we know they seem content not to offend Verdugo, who has no business in pinstripes beyond 2024. Typically, stepping in here is either a manager's job or a Captain's job. Aaron Judge has long advocated for Verdugo, and Boone is as complacent as anyone in this particular clubhouse. Guess they're hoping Verdugo, like everyone else, will flip a switch when the time comes.

Seems more prudent, with Dominguez on fire, to bank on a different switch.