Alex Verdugo Is Red Sox’s ‘Best Defender’ According To Alex Cora

BOSTON — The American League All-Star roster is set and the Red Sox have only one player representing the team — closer Kenley Jansen.

The team has been rather inconsistent throughout the first half of the season, but one player Red Sox manager Alex Cora thought would get the nod is outfielder Alex Verdugo.

“He’s the best defender in the American League,” Cora said before the Red Sox took the field against the Texas Rangers on Thursday. “In the toughest right field in the big leagues. People haven’t noticed yet, but we have.”

The American League’s starting outfield consists of Mike Trout, Aaron Judge and Randy Arozarena, per fan votes and the reserves are Yordan Alvarez, Adolis García, Austin Hays and Luis Robert Jr. Though Trout and Judge are all out of the 2023 Midsummer Classic, Verdugo was still overlooked with Kyle Tucker added as a replacement player.

“There’s a lot of good players in this league,” Cora said. “… I think overall, pretty solid offensively, he usually is a solid offensive player. A lot of doubles. I think the difference is the way he’s playing right field. That’s the separator, right?”

According to ESPN, Verdugo is the Red Sox’s most valuable player this season ahead of Rafael Devers and Masataka Yoshida.

Verdugo is slashing .286/.357/.450 for the Red Sox this season with 35 RBIs on 91 hits, 26 of which are doubles.