"I just want this to end" - Yankees star Alex Verdugo reveals shocking glove allergy amid poor form
New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo disclosed that during the All-Star break, he was diagnosed with a skin allergy triggered by his batting gloves, which may be a contributing factor to his subpar performance this season. Verdugo said he has been playing with his palms and knuckles wrapped in gauze and plaster tape for the past three years, due to the pain and soreness in his hands and fingers.
Earlier this week, Alex Verdugo spoke to NJ Advance Media regarding his peculiar health issue and its diagnosis.
“My hands hurt. They blister. Then it opens and starts scabbing. It’s like super dry skin. I’ve been dealing with this since they started barking in ‘21,” he said.
However, Verdugo was reluctant to blame the condition as the reason behind his slump, since he had done quite well in the past despite suffering from this problem.
“I’ve been hitting with these hands for the last three years, so I can’t say it’s because of my hands,” he said. “I don’t know. I cover my hands as best I can. I cover my knuckles. Every day I look like a boxer. I just want this to end.”
The Yankees acquired Alex Verdugo in a trade with the rival Boston Red Sox last offseason. Up to that point, Verdugo had a .281/.337/.428 for his MLB career with .765 OPS.
He made a solid start with his new team, but his production gradually tapered off. He is batting nearly 50 points below his career average while slugging is down by 100 points.
At present, Alex Verdugo continues to be on the field for the Yankees. In fact, he is seemingly rising back from his slump, having put up a .282/.349/.380 slashline since July 26.
Batting gloves behind Alex Verdugo's skin condition
Upon learning the problem, the New York Yankees medical team referred Alex Verdugo to an allergist. They believed he was having dermatitis, a condition that produces rashes, itches, and blisters upon coming into contact with a material. In the end, Verdugo was told that the issue was caused by two chemicals in his batting gloves: cobalt and chromate.
“Chromate is used in curing the leather,” Verdugo said. “And cobalt is found in the color dyes.”
Dr. Spencer Stein of NYU Langone Health believes the metallic nature of these substances is causing the allergy.
"Allergies to cobalt chrome or cobalt chromium are metal allergies. The body is recognizing metal as a foreign material, so it’s trying to rid itself of that or let the body know that it doesn’t like this. It’s overreacting. That’s what an allergy is," Dr. Stein told NJ Advance Media.
“I haven’t heard of it in baseball, but allergies to gloves that are not latex happen. Sometimes it’s [an allergy] to the chemicals used to process the gloves,” he added.
As per medical studies, only 2% of the population experience cobalt-related allergies, and 6% are allergic to chromate.