Alex Verdugo homers in return to Fenway with Yankees

BOSTON — Alex Verdugo was more than a little bit upset about the news of his trade this past December, upon learning that the Red Sox had moved him to the Yankees.

It was one thing to be dealt, but Verdugo said he’d been irked that Boston considered him so expendable that they would deal him to a division rival — and a historic one, at that. Introductory phone calls with captain Aaron Judge, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and manager Aaron Boone soon had Verdugo excited about a new beginning.

So Verdugo anticipated a “weird day” facing the Red Sox for the first time as a Yankee on Friday at Fenway Park, saying that he expected to be greeted “like a Yankee” by the Boston crowd. He indeed was, but Verdugo answered those jeers with a two-run homer on the first pitch he saw from Brayan Bello, boosting the Yanks to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Verdugo’s ninth home run of the season cleared the center-field wall, a Statcast-calculated 406-foot drive that came off his bat at 104 mph. Chains jangling, Verdugo pumped his fists and screamed as he rounded the bases, offering a few choice words to fans sitting beyond third base on Fenway’s field level.

Of his fresh start with the first-place Yanks, Verdugo said: “The first few days, I was upset. I didn’t really take it the best, but we sat down and started thinking about all the positive sides of it — going to the Yankees and what they had to offer and the amazing organization that they are. So we quickly shaved and kind of got off on the right foot.”

Boston acquired three pitchers in exchange for the 27-year-old Verdugo: Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice.

“I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason,” Verdugo said. “Whether it’s good things, bad things, I feel like this trade happened for a reason. Looking back at it, it was better for me.”