Yankees Slugger's Struggles Could Be Due to Two Strange Ailments

Alex Verdugo has had long-term hand ailments that could be rooted in two strange causes.

Aug 10, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo (24) reacts from the dugout during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

This New York Yankees' outfielder has discovered something significant.

An August 16 article from NJ Advance Media's Randy Miller revealed that slugger Alex Verdugo spent the 2024 MLB All-Star break trying to figure out why his hands have been hurting for years.

"After three seasons of sores and pain in his hands and fingers, Verdugo was tired of constantly wrapping his palms with gauze and knuckles with medical tape," Miller wrote.

“My hands hurt,” Verdugo said in the article. “They blister. Then it opens and starts scabbing. It’s like super dry skin. I’ve been dealing with this since they started barking in ‘21.”

The Yankees medical team suggested Verdugo meet with an allergist, who proposed that he was allergic to his batting gloves.

"They believed he was coming in contact with a material that was causing dermatitis, a skin condition that can produce rashes, itching and blisters," Miller wrote. Specifically, Verdugo was likely allergic to cobalt and chromate, which are two compounds found in his Franklin batting gloves.

If Verdugo is indeed allergic to both, he'd be among just 2 percent of the population who's allergic to cobalt, while 6 percent of people are allergic to chromate.

While batting glove allergies would be one potential diagnosis for Verdugo's dermatitis, his tattoos could be another.

"NJ Advance Media spoke to two doctors, one of whom believes Verdugo’s condition might be related to the ink in the many tattoos covering his chest and arms," the article wrote.

“It’s very rare, but the tattoos are made of metal ink and you can get a tattoo allergy to the metal," said Dr. Arthur Lubitz, a New York-based allergist and longtime Yankees fan.

On the season, Verdugo is hitting .235 with a .660 OPS, 10 home runs and 53 RBI in 118 games. He’s hitting .198 with one home run and 11 RBI since June 15.

While the 28-year-old hasn't blamed his dermatitis as the cause of his prolonged hitting struggles with New York, it will be interesting to see whether his hitting numbers improve if and when he begins taking Dupixent, which is an injectable shot that Lubitz called, "the only thing that really heals," Verdugo's ailment.

It certainly sounds like blistered, painful hands would affect one's hitting. Therefore, perhaps healed, healthy hands are all Verdugo needs to become an integral part of the Yankees' offense once again.