Red Sox
Alex Verdugo recently learned he was allergic to two of the chemicals in his Franklin fighting gloves.
Alex Verdugo has struggled lately in his first season with the Yankees. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Former Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo has struggled in recent months with the Yankees. He may have found the cause of those struggles after a doctor’s appointment during the All-Star break.
Verdugo recently learned he was allergic to cobalt and chromate, two chemicals used in his Franklin batting gloves. He told New Jersey Media’s Randy Miller he was surprised by the news, given how unusual it was.
“Chromate is used to treat leather,” Verdugo told Miller. “And cobalt is in dyes.”
Although Verdugo recently learned he has allergies, he has had problems with his hands since his second season with the Red Sox. He told Miller he regularly puts gauze and tape around his knuckles because of the pain he feels in his hands and fingers.
“My hands hurt,” Verdugo told Miller. “They blister. Then they open up and start scabbing. It’s like super dry skin. I’ve had this problem since they started barking in 2021.”
Dr. Arthur Lubitz, an allergist in New York, suggested to Miller that the metallic ink in Verdugo’s tattoos (he has visible ink on both of his arms) could be the cause of the allergy, saying “you can have a tattoo allergy to metal.”
It’s unclear whether Verdugo’s tattoos are the cause of the allergies. But very few people are allergic to cobalt and chromate. About 2 percent of the general population is allergic to cobalt, according to DermNet. Meanwhile, one study found that 6.8 percent of men tested in a clinic over a five-year period were allergic to chromate, according to the JDD website.
Despite apparently dealing with constant hand pain for most of his time in Boston, Verdugo hit relatively well with the Red Sox. He hit .281 with a .761 OPS over four seasons, but his batting average dropped each year in Boston. He hit .264 in 2023, which was the lowest of his career since he was a bench player with the Dodgers in 2018.
Verdugo had a strong start to the season with the Yankees, hitting .266 with a .757 OPS and nine home runs through June 14. His numbers have dropped precipitously since then, hitting .195 with a .533 OPS and one home run since June 15.
Verdugo’s slump coincided with the Yankees’ worst stretch of the season, going 22-27 in his last 49 games in the lineup.
While Verdugo’s allergies are certainly unusual, it’s not unprecedented in the sports world. Former NHL star Marian Hossa suffered from eczema after an allergic reaction to his equipment, forcing him to retire in 2017.
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