NEW YORK -- Alex Verdugo complied with the New York Yankees' rule against facial hair by a lot more than a whisker. He clipped off his red beard two months before spring training.
"My mom loves it," he said Thursday, showing off his impeccably shaved cheeks during a Zoom news conference. "My mom thinks I look like her little boy again. She says I look like I'm back in high school."
New York acquired the 27-year-old outfielder from the Boston Red Sox on Dec. 5 for right-handers Greg Weissert, Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice, part of an offseason makeover that included getting slugging All-Star Juan Soto in a trade with San Diego the following day.