Verdugo doesn't like Betts comparison: 'I don't think about Mookie'

Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo isn't a fan of being compared to Mookie Betts.

"I'm not replacing him," Verdugo said following the team's win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. "Yeah, he played here, but this is a game. This is a business. He decided to go elsewhere. I'm not replacing him. That's what you guys say. That's what everybody else says. I'm going out there and playing right field, playing my game.

"I don't think about Mookie. I think he's a great player, he did a lot for Boston, and he's going to do a lot for the (Los Angeles) Dodgers. I think about me being here and what I'm going to do and bring to the team. It's not a comparable thing. I don't like comparing it. I don't like when people bring it up."

Boston traded Betts and David Price to the Dodgers in exchange for Verdugo and prospects Jeter Downs and Connor Wong in February.

Verdugo has impressed so far in 2020 while manning right field, the same position that Betts - the 2018 AL MVP - played for years.

The 24-year-old was an all-around standout Friday. He hit two home runs and made a sensational catch to steal a homer from Travis Shaw in the top of the ninth inning.

Verdugo owns a .927 OPS with three round-trippers in 11 contests this season.