MLB Power Rankings: Which stars have surprisingly struggled this season? We have our list

Every week,​ we​ ask a selected group of our baseball​ writers​ — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.

Imagine it’s next March, and teams throughout the NBA are making their final push for postseason seeding. And in debating how far the San Antonio Spurs can go, we keep returning to one point: Boy, it’s kind of weird that Victor Wembanyama has been one of the NBA’s worst players this year, right?

You can’t imagine it. It couldn’t happen! There’s really no history in the NBA of a player going from darn near the MVP to the bottom of the league one season later. And yet, here we are in August of this baseball season pondering Cal Raleigh and his .568 OPS, one year after he hit 60 home runs and dragged the Mariners within one win of their first pennant.

This is what makes this sport so tough to predict and so enjoyable to watch transpire over six months and 162 games. With six weeks left in this regular season — unfolding more predictably in the NL than the AL, we must confess — let’s look at those other players who, for whatever reason, simply haven’t performed the way we expected.

This can be a negative exercise, so take note: You’ll enjoy it more if, when wondering what happened to X player, you ask it in Fred Willard’s voice.

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Record: 77-48
Last Power Ranking: 1

What happened to: Christian Yelich

After posting a 121 wRC+ last season, earning down-ballot NL MVP votes in the process, Yelich has fully bottomed out in 2026. His 86 wRC+ is the third worst among primary designated hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. The former MVP has looked utterly lost at the plate, and there’s no underlying red ink to support a turnaround. All that has led to a negative WAR season. Perhaps more concerning is that Milwaukee is on the hook for two more years of the 34-year-old at a hair over $23 million per season. At this point, Yelich is nothing more than a statue at the plate, and an expensive one at that. — Johnny Flores Jr.

Record: 75-51
Last Power Ranking: 2

What happened to: Kyle Tucker (but only in Dodger Stadium)

It has been a little covered up by all the shine coming from the surrounding stars in the Dodgers lineup, but Tucker has had an extremely weird 2026. After signing a contract that pays him the highest AAV in the history of the sport — $60 million per year — here are his home/road splits going into Monday’s game:

Everywhere that isn’t Dodger Stadium: .275/.371/.469 (.840 OPS)
Dodger Stadium: .189/.286/.272 (.558 OPS)

Perhaps you can see the problem: The Dodgers play half their games at Dodger Stadium; it’s right there in the name. The extreme home/road splits recently led to Tucker being benched in Los Angeles, which is probably not something the two sides covered during contract negotiations. — Levi Weaver

Record: 74-51
Last Power Ranking: 3

What happened to: Austin Riley

When Atlanta signed its flurry of extensions early in the decade, they were never all going to work out. But it’s especially tough when the richest of them stops working as soon and as unexpectedly as it has for Riley. When he signed that 10-year deal in August 2022, he was on his way to a six-win season and the second of three straight top-10 finishes in MVP balloting. But things have gone downhill since for the third baseman, whose OPS+ has steadily declined from its 2022 peak of 140 to 130 to 115 to 105 to 85 this season. He’s signed for six more years. — Tim Britton

Record: 73-53
Last Power Ranking: 4

What happened to: Edward Cabrera

In need of a cost-controlled starter with frontline potential, the Cubs made a big swing in the offseason to poach Cabrera from the Miami Marlins. It hasn’t worked out. Making his return from the IL on Sunday, Cabrera allowed seven runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings, his ERA ballooning to 5.68. Cabrera’s return was short-lived, as the right-hander is once again dealing with a blister issue on top of more ineffectiveness. His place in the rotation has become untenable, something Chicago can ill afford as it attempts to chase down Milwaukee in the NL Central, or, at the very least, secure the NL’s first wild-card seed. — Flores

Record: 75-49
Last Power Ranking: 5

What happened to: Carson Williams

A top-10 prospect in the sport entering last season and a top-100 prospect entering this season, Williams has stagnated. His offensive numbers in the majors have been putrid; in Triple A, pedestrian. The swing decisions haven’t been any better this year than last, and Williams is running the risk of becoming more of a utility player than the everyday shortstop the Rays theoretically could use. Maybe not? Tampa Bay is closing in on the best record in baseball despite running out Taylor Walls, who is barely above replacement level, at short every day. — Britton

Record: 69-55
Last Power Ranking: 7

What happened to: Jazz Chisholm Jr.

You could say I was skeptical Chisholm would join Shohei Ohtani in the 50-50 club before the season, despite his confidence. But I did expect Chisholm to put himself in good position within this year’s lackluster free-agent class. Instead, he’s having his worst season at the worst time, and he’s slumping at a particularly bad time for the Yankees. His OPS is under .500 over his last 20 games entering Monday. — Britton

Record: 67-58
Last Power Ranking: 6

What happened to: Jarren Duran

It was reasonable to think that Duran was unlikely to repeat his 2024 campaign. But even a pessimist then wouldn’t have predicted a plummet in production to this extent two years later. Duran started the year hitting third and now bats seventh or eighth, and his hold on everyday playing time might have been saved by Masataka Yoshida’s injury — at least until Roman Anthony’s return. Duran’s average is just peeking above .200 with an on-base percentage in the .260s. — Britton

Record: 68-58
Last Power Ranking: T-8

What happened to: Trea Turner

It felt like Trea had Turnered the corner in the last couple weeks of July, when he looked like his usual self at the plate. Instead, August has been a harsh return to where he was for the first three months of the season (and where the Phillies as a team were in April). The formula in Philadelphia is not complicated: What makes the Phillies so dangerous come October is their high-end talent, of which Turner is supposed to be a critical part. If he’s a dynamic leadoff hitter in front of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper with Cristopher Sánchez or Zack Wheeler on the mound, that’s a tough team to beat in a short series. If he’s not, a team that lacks some depth to begin with gets too shallow to seriously contend. — Britton

Record: 65-59
Last Power Ranking: 10

What happened to: The catching, all of it

Entering the 2026 campaign, catching was supposed to be one of Chicago’s least concerns. That was before Kyle Teel injured himself during the World Baseball Classic, and before his replacements, Edgar Quero and Reese McGuire, provided negative offensive and defensive value. When Teel finally did return, it was short-lived as the backstop suffered another lower-body injury, one without a timeline for a return. In a particularly cruel twist of fate, Joey Bart, a deadline acquisition, made it three games before a 97.7 mph hit-by-pitch fractured his left hand. Now, the White Sox turn to Jake Rogers, who is on his fourth team in the last two-plus weeks. It’s a good thing, then, that Chicago entered Monday with a 5 1/2 game lead in the AL Central. — Flores

Record: 67-59
Last Power Ranking: 12

What happened to: Manny Machado

What happened to Machado is that he had a scorching July, and not much else. Check this out:

Pre-July (344 PAs): .189/.274/.399 (.673 OPS)
July (111 PAs): .292/.369/.552 (.922)
August (64 PAs through Sun.): 64 PAs, .193/.281/.211 (.492)

He’s not the only Padre who’s had a strange year. Fernando Tatis Jr. went through an extended stretch of hitting the ball hard, but never over the fence. Jackson Merrill took forever to find the light switch.

Machado’s hot streak — and the resurgence of the other Padres stars — has vaulted them into a playoff spot. But there’s still a month and a half left in the regular season. They need everyone to avoid reverting to their first-half selves. — Weaver

Record: 66-60
Last Power Ranking: T-8

What happened to: Zac Gallen

Before 2026, Gallen had never had any of these things:

• Negative bWAR
• An ERA over 4.83
• A FIP above 4.50
• A WHIP above 1.294
• A strikeout rate of worse than 8.2 K/9
• A hits per nine innings of greater than 8.3

If I knew how to put these numbers upside-down and in italics, I’d do it so you could flip your laptop or phone over like magazines in the olden days. But since I can’t, here ya go: -1.6, 6.34, 5.30, 1.561, 5.6 and 11.2, in that order.

Not only are those all career-worst numbers, most of them completely obliterate his previous career-worst numbers. And not to make things worse, but a lot of those previous career-worsts came last year. That feels like a pretty concerning trend for the 31-year-old. — Weaver

Record: 64-62
Last Power Ranking: 13

What happened to: Pete Fairbanks

Fairbanks has been better over the last six weeks, but reliever seasons can go off the rails quickly, and his did back in April and May. He’s allowed three runs in five different outings this season, or as many times as he’d done it in the prior three seasons combined. While Fairbanks’ peripheral numbers suggest he’s been a bit unlucky, they’re still lagging where they were throughout his tenure with Tampa Bay. — Britton

Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 11

What happened to: Justin Verlander

Signed to a one-year, $13 million deal in the offseason, Verlander was, at best, supposed to be a reliable backend starter. At worst, a nostalgia ploy in his final season. To date, he’s been neither. He’s made just one start for the Tigers, a 3 2/3 inning start on the road back in March. Since then, it’s been setback after setback. At last, he’s playing catch off a bullpen mound, but with Detroit having 37 games left in the season, time is running out on a final appearance at Comerica Park. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. — Flores

Record: 63-62
Last Power Ranking: 14

What happened to: Mike Burrows

You could make a case for Tatsuya Imai as the biggest letdown, and I wouldn’t argue with you. There are a lot of starting pitcher options you could pick; go wild. As Chandler Rome has pointed out on multiple occasions, the Astros needed rotation help last winter, but the six big-league pitchers they acquired — Imai, Roddery Muñoz, Ryan Weiss, Kai-Wei Teng, Nate Pearson and Burrows — have combined for a 5.54 ERA. Only Imai is currently on the active roster, and he’s in the bullpen. (Peter Lambert, their big offseason acquisition success story, signed a minor-league deal, was released in March, re-signed a minor-league deal and was finally added to the roster on April 17.)

So, yeah, take your pick, really.

For me, I’m going with Burrows. Hailed as a “pillar” for future rotations when the Astros acquired him, he was, in turns, ineffective, demoted to Triple A and then oops-just-kidding un-demoted because actually, he was injured.

Fortunately, the Astros, currently in first place in the AL West, can address their rotation at the trade deadline.

Oh, right. Huh. What a weird year. — Weaver

Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 22

What happened to: Gunnar Henderson

When Juan Soto signed his $765 million deal in late 2024, I was tasked with figuring out whether anyone in the league stood a chance of eclipsing that mark. My answer was no, but only after looking closely at Henderson. (Later that spring, I pegged an extension for the shortstop at $375 million.) Since his MVP-worthy eight-win season in 2024, Henderson has taken a step back. That season put him right next to Bobby Witt Jr. as one of the game’s best shortstops; Witt has nearly doubled Henderson’s WAR since. That drop in value aligns with what’s happened to Baltimore competitively since the start of 2025. — Britton

Record: 61-66
Last Power Ranking: 16

What happened to: Paul Skenes

If there was any chance of Skenes’ career ERA dropping back under 2.00, it’s not happening this season. The NL’s reigning Cy Young Award winner has endured multiple blow-ups, abbreviated outings and general ineffectiveness in his third season in the big leagues. It’s all led to multiple questions about Skenes’ long-term health, the role of velocity and what it means to be an ace in 2026. His next start won’t come until Wednesday, a little more than a week after five trying innings against the Marlins. There, he will have the chance to turn the conversation back. For now, it’s all about what happened to the former No. 1 pick. — Flores

Record: 64-62
Last Power Ranking: 18

What happened to: Jordan Walker

A month ago, Walker was on cloud nine, having broken the hearts of thousands of Philadelphians in the Home Run Derby on a walk-off blast, with his family in tow to cheer him on. A month later, he would love nothing more than to have that feeling in his bat again. The first-time All-Star has struggled out of the break, posting a .678 OPS with just two home runs and 25 strikeouts in 27 games. Compare that to his monstrous first half, where his .887 OPS and 22 homers had him in upper NL MVP ballot and Silver Slugger conversations. Point being: baseball is hard, and Walker is going through it. — Flores

Record: 61-65
Last Power Ranking: 23

What happened to: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

You could pick almost anyone on this offense — one that looked like a model for the rest of the league late last year, and which this year sits 30th out of 30 in runs per game entering Monday, with barely any single hitter performing better than the league average. But this has to start with Guerrero, who, as of this writing, still hasn’t homered in Toronto this season. He homered in Toronto sooner in 2021, and the Jays didn’t even play at home that season until late July. The Blue Jays wish it were just a home thing, but Guerrero has 26 extra-base hits this season — down from 57 last year and 75 the year before that. — Britton

Record: 59-66
Last Power Ranking: 20

What happened to: Cal Raleigh

This was definitely my easiest pick, and I’m betting it was easier than anyone else’s most obvious one, too.

I have never seen so many Instagram hitting coaches so confident that they have solved the mystery of Raleigh. It’s his stance. It’s his load. It’s his hands. It’s his lower half. It’s World Baseball Classic fatigue. It’s a secret injury. Zoom in, look right there, peeking out of his jersey: That’s a Whiff Goblin — he should have better boundaries with the Whiff Goblin.

I dunno, maybe one of them is right. Maybe they’re all right. Whatever the cause, Raleigh’s year-to-year drop in production has been ghastly.

2025: .948 OPS, 60 HR, 125 RBIs, 7.2 bWAR
2026: .568 OPS, 13 HR, 44 RBIs, -0.4 bWAR

WAR doesn’t really work this way, but if you just straight-up added seven wins to the Mariners’ total going into Monday’s action, they’d be leading the AL West by three games. — Weaver

Record: 60-66
Last Power Ranking: 15

What happened to: Daylen Lile

We should be clear: This isn’t really a criticism of Lile’s first full season in the majors, as he’s been close to a league-average hitter while playing every day as a much-improved defensive outfielder. But it is surprising that for an organization that has nailed it in maximizing the offensive potential of so many young players this season, Lile hasn’t been one of them. What was so impressive about Lile’s cameo in 2025 was how sustainable it looked and felt. This year, he’s chasing too often and not squaring the ball up quite as consistently. We still like the future here. — Britton

Record: 60-65
Last Power Ranking: 17

What happened to: The offense

Listen, the Guardians have never been the hallmark of a good offense. But 2026 is a new low, even by Cleveland standards. Only one team finished Sunday with a lower OPS than Cleveland’s .682 mark. Ditto for hitting with runners in scoring position, a place where the Guardians have struggled mightily, to the tune of a .670 OPS. With the AL seemingly getting its act together, the only route to October might end up being whoever wins the Central. Going 3-7 over your last 10 games doesn’t help, either. If there is a silver lining, it’s that the Guardians will close the month with 12 games against the Giants, Rockies, Angels and Royals. If that’s not enough to get your offense rolling, then I don’t know what will. — Flores

Record: 61-65
Last Power Ranking: 21

What happened to: Byron Buxton

In the ninth inning of Sunday’s 7-5 loss to the Phillies, with two outs and two men on, Buxton struck out on five pitches, none of which were in the zone, completing an 0-for-5 day and sealing a three-game sweep. It continued a season-wide trend for the 32-year-old. With runners in scoring position, Buxton has a .558 OPS; with two outs, he has a .483 OPS, and in late/close situations, it’s .546. Where Buxton goes, so do the Twins, and for a club that bought at the deadline and has postseason aspirations, that’s not ideal. Activated off the IL ahead of the Field of Dreams game, Buxton has a second-half slash line of .135/.220/.162. — Flores

Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 19

What happened to: Corey Seager

The obvious answer to “what happened to” Seager is that he’s been on the injured list. Three times, in fact. But when he’s been in the lineup this year, he has put up this slash line: .203/.307/.390 (.696 OPS).

All are career lows.

Seager has put up 2.0 bWAR or less just three times in his career:

2015: 1.7 bWAR in 27 games, his first year in the league
2018: 0.5 bWAR in 26 games (injured)
2020: 2.0 bWAR in 52 games (pandemic-shortened season)

So far this year, he’s at 1.4. Perhaps he’ll crack that 2.0 mark by season’s end — maybe the injuries are behind him and he’ll produce if his body is feeling closer to 100 percent. But either way, it hasn’t been a great season for Seager or the Rangers … who are still somehow within one fall-down-in-the-luckiest-direction of a playoff spot, because, you know, 2026 American League. — Weaver

Record: 57-69
Last Power Ranking: 24

What happened to: Jorge Polanco

Permitting your franchise’s all-time home run leader to leave in free agency (when you could obviously afford to bring him back) was destined to sting a little bit. But it could hardly have stung the Mets more than it has this season, because Pete Alonso’s replacement has played a grand total of 20 innings at first base. (Twenty innings, however, still outpaces the 19 hits he has on the season entering Monday.) It’s been just about a nightmare season for New York, and nobody symbolizes that more than Polanco — an honest-to-goodness postseason hero for Seattle 10 months ago. He has rebounded from subpar and unhealthy seasons in the past; the Mets hope he does so again in 2027. — Britton

Record: 60-65
Last Power Ranking: 25

What happened to: Ke’Bryan Hayes

Things have never been more bleak for the 29-year-old, who has a wRC+ of 20. For those keeping score, that’s 80 points below league average. At this point, his bat is unlikely to ever rebound to passable — he has more below-average seasons by wRC+ (five) than above-average (one) — but at least there’s the defense, right? Sort of. He continues to have good range (two outs above average) and a solid glove (five defensive runs saved), but his arm strength continues to diminish year over year. It’s not Platinum Glove-level as it once was, and Gold Glove-level might be out of the question. With five years of service time, Hayes can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent. What’s more, Cincinnati is on the hook for three more years and $23 million. For a club that ranks 20th in payroll, per Cot’s Contracts, that might as well be an albatross. — Flores

Record: 51-73
Last Power Ranking: 26

What happened to: Willy Adames

I always roll my eyes a little bit when I hear people say that a player “doesn’t care.”

Sorry, but baseball is way too hard to make it to — or stay in — the big leagues if you don’t care. You have to care to put in all the off-field work, you have to care to keep your body in shape, you have to care to make the sacrifices these guys make.

So keep that in mind as you read through all of these entries. Yeah, we’re pointing out individual guys, but it’s with the acknowledgement that they know, and they care, and obviously they want to perform better.

The reason I’m making that my Adames entry is that part of his recent inefficacy has been that he’s been trying too hard to stay on the field when it’s clear that his back is hampering his performance.

That’s really admirable. It’s also not helping anyone, and the Giants aren’t going anywhere this year. Get your back healed up; I promise the Giants are very capable of continuing to lose this many games while you’re out. — Weaver

Record: 52-74
Last Power Ranking: 27

What happened to: Salvador Perez

One of only two designated “captains” in MLB, and the only one to have a “C” on his jersey, Perez is Kansas City royalty in waiting. When the time is right, he will certainly be the fourth player to have his number retired by the organization, and he’ll also join former teammate Alex Gordon as members of the 2016 team to be inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame. Heck, he might even end up in Cooperstown. Until then, his 68 wRC+ ranks dead last among qualified DHs. Things were already on the decline in 2025, but 2026 has been even more trying. Perez isn’t the chief reason the Royals are 22 games below .500, but his lack of production certainly doesn’t help, either. — Flores

Record: 49-76
Last Power Ranking: T-29

What happened to: Arte Moreno?

Yeah, I know. It’s supposed to be a player, and I think the rest of these have implied, “Boy, this season sure was a disappointment … What happened?!”

But this is the owner, and we’re leaning into the opposite direction. One reason is that when we look at the list of players we expected might do better this year, something is off: they’re not Angels anymore.

Logan O’Hoppe is in Triple A … with the Rangers. Jo Adell is a Guardian. Jorge Soler is a free agent. Grayson Rodriguez is… OK, well, it wasn’t a complete fire sale, but interim GM John Mozeliak is doing something we haven’t seen in Anaheim in quite a while: make moves that seem likely to help the team long-term.

Not to conflate our O’Hoppes with our Ohtanis, but it seems like every year around this time, we look at an Angels team with yet another miserable record, pitching yet another flimsy story about how things are great, actually, and think “Why on earth did they decide to [take your pick]?!”

Since coming aboard in late June, Mozeliak has led with transparency and a decisive direction. So either Moreno has loosened his grip on the reins, or this was possible all along. Either way, it feels weird. — Weaver 

Record: 50-75
Last Power Ranking: T-29

What happened to: Ezequiel Tovar, I guess?

Tovar is really in year two of “What happened to …” after a breakout 2024 campaign that earned him a Gold Glove and down-ballot NL MVP votes. Injuries (hip contusion, oblique) limited him to 95 games last year, but even when healthy, his production was down from the prior year.

This year, it’s bad. Really bad. Like … “OPS of .587 and you play all your home games at Coors Field” bad.

Fortunately, there have been recent signs of a turnaround. Going into Monday’s game, his August slash line was a robust .324/.366/.460 (.825 OPS) in 41 plate appearances. —  Weaver

Record: 49-76
Last Power Ranking: 28

What happened to: Lawrence Butler

There are a lot of missing persons on the Athletics’ roster, but for most of them, the answer is: “They got injured.”

For Butler, though, it has just been a bad year. In 2024, the then-23-year-old outfielder had a breakout year, hitting 22 home runs with an .807 OPS, earning 3.0 bWAR and a seven-year extension worth $65.5 million.

Last year wasn’t quite as good, but Butler was still worth 1.5 bWAR and still hit 21 home runs, even as his OPS dropped to .710.

This year, he’s sitting at 11 home runs, a .652 OPS and -0.5 bWAR in 116 games. Worse, his OAA (outs above average) sat in the 86th percentile last year. This year? It’s in the first percentile. (That’s bad, to be clear.)

So, what happened to Butler? Plot twist: It was probably also an injury. He had surgery last October to repair a patellar tendon in his knee. It’s possible it’s just taking a little more time to get back to 100 percent. — Weaver