When Sept. 1 arrived and Jasson Dominguez did not, an invisible target appeared on Alex Verdugo’s back.
The Yankees outfielder, who had been at risk of losing some playing time, now is at risk of being reviled.
Verdugo has not played particularly well this season, but also has not been a disaster and thus has not become an enemy of The Bronx in his one and likely only year in pinstripes. Verdugo forced the Stadium to bark at the beginning of the season, when his bat was loud, and has largely been ignored in the middle, when his bat has been silent.
Maybe the end of the season is magical. Or maybe it takes a turn toward the Aaron Hicks and Joey Gallo neighborhood, which has become a possibility because Verdugo is becoming no longer simply Verdugo: To many fans, he can be an on-field avatar for so much wrong around the Yankees.
