When do MLB's many mercurial contenders want to reveal their true form?
We're only about 10% into the 2026 season, but only the two-time defending World Series champions Dodgers (11-4), Braves (10-6) and Padres (10-6) have double-digit wins, while 20 teams are within two games of .500.
But numerous teams projected to be among the best in baseball have also, at times, looked like some of the worst.
Both the Yankees and Brewers started 8-2 … and then lost five straight games. The story’s similar for the Mets, who began 7-4 before dropping five in a row. The defending AL champion Blue Jays haven't fared any better, starting 4-1 before losing eight of their last 10 games.
The Astros were 6-3 before losing seven straight — a skid that’s still ongoing as they’ve fallen into last place in the AL West. The Mets (7-9) and Cubs (7-8) are also in last place in their respective divisions, while the Blue Jays (6-9) and Red Sox (6-9) are in a share for last in the AL East with the same number of wins as the Rockies (6-10) and White Sox (6-10).
For many of these teams, injuries can help explain the unexpected volatility.
This week’s power rankings include some of the latest injuries to monitor around the league.
Top pitching prospect Noah Schultz is expected to debut this week, so that’s a reason to be excited. He can’t, however, fix the team’s offensive woes: The White Sox are slashing .193/.278/.306 with the fewest runs scored in MLB, and hamstring injuries to Kyle Teel and Austin Hays haven't helped.
The Rockies have a sweep of the Astros already under their belt, and their bullpen has held up well so far. But their rotation ranks 25th in ERA. They should get another veteran arm back to help with Jose Quintana expected to return from a hamstring strain this week.
The Nationals can hit. They’re fourth in runs scored and OPS. The pitching, however, is another story. It would still be a problem at full strength, but setbacks for 2023 All-Star Josiah Gray in his return from Tommy John surgery — he’s now on the 60-day IL with a flexor strain — have provided fewer options.
Health is not the reason for the Giants’ early-season spiral: Their best players just aren’t performing. Logan Webb has a 5.25 ERA, while Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee are both hitting well below league average. To make matters worse, Luis Arraez, who’s hitting a team-high .304 to start the year, left Saturday’s game with a wrist contusion.
Reclamation projects Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah are both on the shelf. But the most important thing is Mike Trout is on the field, despite some hold-your-breath moments lately. He’s only hitting .208, but he has a .400 on-base percentage.
Led by Xavier Edwards (.350 batting average) and Otto Lopez (.327), Miami’s offense had been a pleasant surprise to start the year until a trip this weekend to Detroit, where the Marlins plated three runs total over a three-game sweep. Getting 2025 All-Star Kyle Stowers back from a hamstring strain sometime this month will provide a lift.
Masyn Winn was hit by a pitch on his leg Friday and missed the rest of the weekend series against the Red Sox, though for now it doesn’t seem serious. The Cardinals are one of the healthier teams in the sport, and you should take a look at what 23-year-old Jordan Walker is doing. It looks like it’s all coming together for the 2020 first-round pick, who leads the majors with seven home runs.
Cole Ragans left his last start early after taking a comebacker off the hand, but he’s still slated to make his next start. For now, it’s just something to keep an eye on. So is the progress of Carlos Estévez, who’s sidelined with a foot contusion and might need to use the time off to get right again mechanically after allowing six runs and dealing with diminished velocity in his first outing of the year.
Another year, another laundry list of injuries. They’ve lost seven straight games, and the rotation is in shambles. Ace Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier are both dealing with shoulder strains, and Houston’s starting pitchers have an MLB-worst 6.20 ERA. Now, Tatsuya Imai is also experiencing arm fatigue while 2025 All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña exited Saturday’s game with knee tightness. Is this the time to mention Houston’s relievers also have the worst ERA in MLB, and Josh Hader is still out? It’s bleak right now in Houston.
Royce Lewis is hurt again, though his knee sprain appears to be relatively minor, so it isn’t as big of a blow as Pablo López’s season-ending elbow injury. Taj Bradley, however, is helping keep the rotation afloat. The former top Tampa Bay pitching prospect is 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA through four starts and ranks third in MLB with 29 strikeouts.
The reigning American League champs have lost eight of their last 10 games, own the second-worst run differential in MLB and continue to be ravaged by injuries. The pitching staff is depleted, the offense is missing Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger, and now George Springer is the latest to be sidelined after fracturing his toe.
Hey, progress! After an abysmal start to the year, the Red Sox won series against the Brewers and Cardinals with the pitching staff performing more like Boston expected. Johan Oviedo is sidelined with a flexor strain, but Boston still has depth in the rotation and should get more in the coming weeks with Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval both on rehab assignments.
The rotation is producing even with Ryan Pepiot starting the year on the IL, but the staff took another hit with Joe Boyle getting sidelined with an elbow strain. The more surprising issue is a bullpen that has a 6.35 ERA. The Rays could get needed reinforcements soon, however, in Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta.
After a 2-6 start, the A’s are suddenly in a share of first place in the AL West following a New York trip that saw them go 5-1 against the Yankees and Mets. The offense has yet to reach its potential, though, and now Brent Rooker is on the shelf with an oblique strain.
Thank goodness for the Edward Cabrera trade. This month has brought brutal pitching news for the Cubs, who will be without 2025 Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton for the rest of the year following season-ending elbow surgery. Starter Matthew Boyd and relievers Hunter Henry and Phil Maton also went on the injured list, though Boyd isn’t expected out long.
It was a scary sight last week when Parker Meadows collided with Riley Greene and needed to be carted off the field after suffering a concussion and fractured arm. In the rotation, Justin Verlander has been out with hip inflammation since his first start back in Detroit, but he’s not expected to be sidelined for long.
Rookie Rhett Lowder and 23-year-old Chase Burns have given the Reds’ rotation vital innings following Hunter Greene’s elbow surgery, but the Reds could use Nick Lodolo. The left-hander, who had a 3.33 ERA in 29 appearances last year, has yet to make his 2026 debut after dealing with a blister issue late in spring.
Getting Zack Wheeler potentially before month’s end should provide a significant lift, though he won’t be able to fix Philadelphia’s uninspiring offense. The Phillies lost back-to-back series against the Giants and Diamondbacks while averaging fewer than three runs per game. Their offense ranks in the bottom 10 in both batting average and on-base percentage.
Juan Soto had a hit in each of his first eight games before being sidelined with a calf strain. The Mets are missing his bat. Since losing Soto on April 3, the Mets’ offense ranks 28th in wRC+.
Starter Bryce Miller is still out with an oblique strain, and outfielder Victor Robles was placed on the IL last week with a pec strain, but it’s been the offensive stars’ lack of production — not injuries — that explain Seattle’s slow start. Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor all have batting averages that start with a "1."
The injuries are starting to pile up in Baltimore. Already starting the season with Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg sidelined, they added Adley Rutschman (ankle inflammation), Ryan Mountcastle (broken foot) and Tyler O’Neill (concussion) to the injured list last week. Meanwhile, starter Zach Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery. The team, however, has won five of its last six games.
Wyatt Langford is day-to-day with a quad issue, but the Rangers are mostly healthy. They swept the Mariners and salvaged their series at Dodger Stadium behind a Jacob deGrom gem, and the Texas pitching staff ranks seventh in ERA.
The Snakes are suddenly streaking. Since getting swept by the Dodgers to start the year, they’ve swept the Tigers, split with the Braves, then won back-to-back series in Queens and Philadelphia, despite a growing list of injuries that now includes Jordan Lawlar (wrist fracture), Carlos Santana (adductor strain) and Gabriel Moreno (back tightness). However, Merrill Kelly is slated to return from injury to make his 2026 debut this week.
The Pirates are a healthy group getting a big boost from their offseason additions. Newcomers Ryan O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe both rank in the top 30 among qualified hitters in wRC+, while Oneil Cruz is slashing .339/.400/.644 with five homers and five steals. The Pirates have won eight of their last 11 games and also boast a pitching staff with a top-five ERA. They deserve their due.
The Guardians have a winning record despite a tough schedule to start the year, and now Hunter Gaddis is on the precipice of returning to help a Cleveland bullpen that sports an uncharacteristic 4.98 ERA.
It was not a good injury weekend for the Brewers. Kyle Harrison banged up his left knee when Gary Sanchez whipped a fastball toward his legs as he went to cover first base. Harrison appears to have avoided any serious damage. More concerning is Christian Yelich's hamstring issue and the Brewers' five straight losses after jumping out to an 8-2 record.
The Yankees have had the best rotation in MLB despite missing Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón to start the year. The issue has been a healthy offense that nonetheless ranks 25th in OPS. The Yankees have averaged fewer than three runs per game over a five-game losing skid.
The Padres are surging. They’ve now won eight of their last nine games, but Nick Pivetta left his start Sunday with elbow stiffness. That’s a potentially significant development, considering the team’s lack of starting pitching depth. An elite bullpen helps, though. Mason Miller’s on an absurd run to start the year, striking out 19 of the 24 batters he has faced.
Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep had elbow surgery. Spencer Strider strained his oblique. Ha-Seong Kim slipped on ice and needed surgery to repair a torn tendon in his middle finger. Jurickson Profar failed another PED test and is out for the year. Despite another year of injury chaos, though, the Braves have looked like one of the best teams in baseball with a pitching staff that has banded together to produce the lowest ERA in MLB and an offense that trails only the Dodgers in home runs.
Was there any question? The favorites are still piling up wins after losing Mookie Betts to an oblique injury, but it's worth keeping an eye on Edwin Díaz. The Dodgers and their new closer have insisted he feels fine physically, but his velocity has been down lately, and Dave Roberts wouldn’t reveal if he was available Sunday. Something to monitor.
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