New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo might have found the surprising culprit to some notable health problems he has been having.
Verdugo admitted that he had been having issues with dry skin and blisters on his hands all season, a potential contributor to his poor numbers in 2024 relative to his career averages. The Yankees sent Verdugo to an allergist, who concluded that Verdugo was probably allergic to his own batting gloves — specifically the chemicals cobalt and chromate.
“Chromate is used in curing the leather, and cobalt is found in the color dyes,” Verdugo explained, via Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media.
Verdugo uses Franklin batting gloves, and his agent reached out to the company to try to figure out if it was possible to manufacture some gloves that do not include the components Verdugo is allergic to.
“I’ve been hitting with these hands for the last three years, so I can’t say it’s because of my hands,” Verdugo said. “I don’t know. I cover my hands as best I can. I cover my knuckles. Every day I look like a boxer. I just want this to end.”
Verdugo is known to think about his appearance when he plays, but this is certainly more than what he bargained for. It would be quite something if he sees an uptick in his offensive numbers by addressing this.
A career .274 hitter, Verdugo is hitting just .235 in 2024, easily his worst full-season mark since breaking into the majors. He is set to become a free agent at the end of this season.
