Every MLB Team's Biggest Problem Heading into June
From busted bullpens and snake-bitten sluggers to disastrous defense and injury bugs, every Major League Baseball team is trying to overcome at least one big problem roughly 60 games into the 2026 campaign.
Needless to say, some teams have more and bigger problems than others. Case in point: there's one particular troublesome spot in the lineup for the 39-19 Atlanta Braves, while it's more of an "every batter except for one" predicament for the 24-33 New York Mets.
No one is perfect, though. And whether we're talking about pipe-dream solutions or things that legitimately could be fixed via the right Triple-A call-up or the correct trade deadline acquisition, we've identified one biggest problem for each of the 30 teams with four months left to be played.
Teams are presented in alphabetical order within each division. Unless otherwise noted, statistics are current through the start of play on Saturday.
American League East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: The Entire Starting Rotation
Baltimore's rotation has actually been solid over the past 10 games or so, pacing the O's to series wins over both Detroit and Tampa Bay. They're still waiting on Trevor Rogers to even remotely resemble the ace that he was last year, but at least Shane Baz and Kyle Bradish are showing signs of life.
Over the course of the full season, though, Baltimore has had arguably the worst starting rotation in the American League. At any rate, their full pitching staff ranks dead last in the AL in total runs allowed, and any dreams of winning this division are already just about dead because of it.
Boston Red Sox: 75 Percent of the Infield
Willson Contreras has turned out to be a fantastic acquisition for the Red Sox. He probably won't be an All-Star because the AL first basemen department is loaded with fringe MVP candidates this year, but he arguably has been Boston's most valuable player.
The rest of this infield, however, has been a disaster. FanGraphs calculates Boston's primary 2B Marcelo Mayer, primary SS Trevor Story and primary 3B Caleb Durbin each at slightly below 0.0 WAR. And with Isiah Kiner-Falefa as their best player at three different positions, it's little wonder the Red Sox are struggling to score.
New York Yankees: The Ryan McMahon Conundrum
At last summer's trade deadline, the Yankees gave up two prospects to acquire Ryan McMahon and the final 2.3 years and roughly $36M left on his contract. And to the surprise of precisely no one who had ever checked McMahon's home/road splits while with the Rockies, he has not been hitting well with the Yankees, currently batting .200 in 2026. (Though he has at least homered in his last two games.)
They've spent most of this season platooning McMahon and Amed Rosario at the hot corner depending on the opposing starting pitcher, but even that effort to predominantly deploy this left-handed hitter against right-handed pitching hasn't done much good. At what point do they admit defeat and eat roughly $25M to release McMahon, like they did with DJ LeMahieu last year?
Tampa Bay Rays: Only Three Hitters Worth Mentioning
For a few days last week, the Rays had the best winning percentage in the majors, going on a month-long surge of 22 wins in 26 games to open up what was a 5.5-game lead in this division.
Even throughout that run, though, the offense left us questioning just how sustainable/legitimate the Rays are. There's nothing close to an obvious All-Star among their bat wielders, and eight of the 11 team leaders in plate appearances have an OPS of .710 or worse. Are Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero and Yandy Dรญaz really going to be enough here?
Toronto Blue Jays: The Unrelenting Injury Bug
It was almost too on brand last week when the Blue Jays finally put together their first four-game winning streak of the season, only to lose both Dylan Cease and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to injuries in the fifth inning of their quest for a fifth consecutive win.
Fortunately, Guerrero only missed two games after taking a pitch off his inner elbow, but Cease landed on the IL with his hamstring strain. And if you had a dollarโAmerican or Canadianโfor every "[insert Blue Jay here] landed on the IL" report from this season, you could just about afford to pay Toronto's gargantuan payroll. Somehow, though, they are in position for a wild card spot and might really take off if they can ever get moderately healthy.
American League Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: The Outfield
Let's assume temporarily that Munetaka Murakami comes back from his hamstring injury in short order and immediately resumes his 60 home run pace, that Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas continue to thrive on the left half of the infield and that Davis Martin remains in the mix for AL Cy Young.
Even in that world, is Chicago's outfield good enough to legitimately vie for October baseball?
They just called up Rikuu Nishida a few days ago, hoping that what was a .410 on-base percentage in 306 minor league games translates to the majors and at least gives them something to work with. Because aside from Tristan Peters, that third of this lineup has been a mess.
Cleveland Guardians: The Clean-Up Spot
Long gone are the days of teams automatically putting their biggest bat at No. 4 in the batting order, but it is still expected that the clean up hitter will at least do something positive.
That hasn't been the case for the AL Central-leading Guardians, though, who have gotten an MLB-worst .188 batting average and an MLB-worst .303 slugging percentage from that spot in the lineup. Kyle Manzardo is responsible for about 60 percent of those plate appearances, but Rhys Hoskins slashing .115/.269/.246 in his 30 percent of the time batting cleanup has been quite the nightmare.
Detroit Tigers: Jack Flaherty
The good news on the Jack Flaherty front is that after walking 29 of the first 182 batters he faced this season, he has issued just one free pass in his last three starts combined.
The bad news is that his ERA has still ticked upward from 5.73 to 5.81 during that stretch, and he now has an 0-7 record to show for his $20M salary. Detroit desperately needed Flaherty to shoulder more of the load with Tarik Skubal on the shelf, but he has allowed at least three runs in seven consecutive appearances and is maybe the biggest reason the Tigers are staring down the barrel of a trade deadline fire sale.
Kansas City Royals: The Non-Witt Portion of the Lineup
Bobby Witt Jr. started a bit slow through the first month, but he is having a fantastic, MVP-caliber season. After homering in Kansas City's 15-1 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday, he was on a 28-game run with a .301 batting average, a .602 slugging percentage and 162-game paces of 52 home runs and 40 stolen bases. Not too shabby.
However, Witt is the only Royal with at least 30 plate appearances and an OPS of at least .715, as his supporting cast of Maikel Garcia, Salvador Perez and especially Vinnie Pasquantino has all taken a big step backward compared to the past two seasons.
Kansas City's starting rotation is good, but it isn't that good.
Minnesota Twins: The Bullpen
As it turns out, when you trade away Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart in the span of 24 hours without any discernible plan for backfilling those spots in the bullpen, pitching in latter third of ballgames becomes a wee bit of a challenge.
The Twins have allowed a combined total of 76 earned runs in the seventh and eighth innings, good for a 6.00 ERA. And though the ninth inning has been less of a disaster, it's certainly not because they've established a go-to closer. Eleven different Twins have tallied at least one save, but none more than two.
American League West
3 of 6
Athletics: Brent Rooker
The A's have had quite the "Stars and Scrubs" lineup this season, with the trio of Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers and Carlos Cortes spearheading their quest to win this wide-open division.
But is Brent Rooker ever going to join the party?
Say this much for the two-time All-Star: At least he saves his best swings for the biggest moments. Rooker boasts an .888 OPS with men on base compared to .333 with the bases empty. That's a whole heck of a lot more valuable than if those numbers were flipped. But after a three-year stretch with an .853 OPS, he's all the way down at .622 this season.
Houston Astros: Pitching
Injuries have played a substantial role in Houston's disappointing pitching staff, with Mike Burrows, Spencer Arrighetti, Peter Lambert and Kai-Wei Teng ranking top four in innings pitched. Definitely didn't have that on our preseason Bingo card, and Hunter Brown's rehab assignment can't possibly progress fast enough.
All the same, the Astros have allowed at least eight runs in 18 of their 58 games, including immediately getting tagged for eight runs in the first inning of the first game after their combined no-hitter this past Tuesday.
When they allow five runs or fewer, they are 23-10. It just doesn't happen often enough.
Los Angeles Angels: Too Many Holes (and Strikeouts) in the Lineup
Mike Trout is having a renaissance type of season, while both Zach Neto and Oswald Peraza are providing solid value from the infield. That trio has combined for 29 home runs and 17 stolen bases.
However, of the 10 Angels with at least 100 plate appearances, six have a negative bWAR. And when more than half of your regulars aren't even replacement level contributors, well, it ain't a good sign.
The Angels are also striking out 25.4 percent of the time, which is A) better than last year's horrific rate of 27.1 percent, but B) still worst in the majors this year by a full percent.
Seattle Mariners: Cal Raleigh's Oblique
Both Luis Castillo and Andrรฉs Muรฑoz have been a shell of their former selves on the mound, and each of the six non-outfield spots in the lineup has produced a sub-.700 OPS for the season.
However, there's little question that the long-term concern for this .500 division leader is the health of its 60 HR catcher from yesteryear.
Cal Raleigh had a .560 OPS when he landed on the IL more than two weeks ago with an oblique strain, and he just picked up a bat for the first time on Friday. Even mild oblique injuries can linger for quite a while with catchers, so only time will tell how long it takes for him to return to actionโand ideally return to 2025 form.
Texas Rangers: Offensive Mediocrity
We noted above that the Astros are 23-10 when holding their competition to five runs or fewer. Well, on the flip side of that coin, the Rangers are 20-4 when scoring at least five runs.
But they barely do so 40 percent of the time.
Brandon Nimmo started out red hot, but he hasn't been the same since mid-April. Jake Burger has 10 home runs, but barely a .700 OPS to show for it. And the three-headed ineffective-before-landing-on-the-IL combo of Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford and Josh Smith has really left the Rangers offense in a tough spot, with 14 games already in which they've either been held to one run or shut out.
National League East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: Depth Chart at Catcher
If you've ever needed a reminder of how quickly a surplus can turn into a deficit on an MLB roster, look no further than Atlanta's current predicament at catcher.
When Sean Murphy was on the verge of making his 2026 debut in early May, the Braves traded Jonah Heim to the A's for cash considerations, because who needs to roster three catchers? But Murphy made it one week before going back on the IL with a broken finger, with Drake Baldwin joining him there a week later with an oblique strain.
Though it hasn't exactly slowed this freight train down, going from a Baldwin and Murphy tandem to Chadwick Tromp and Sandy Leรณn is quite the downshift in offensive potential from the catcher spot in the lineup.
Miami Marlins: The Entire Outfield
Trading Edward Cabrera for Owen Caissie (and more) was supposed to be the final piece of Miami's outfield puzzle, with the rookie manning right field alongside Kyle Stowers in left and Jakob Marsee in center.
Unfortunately, that entire trio has struggled for an outfield that nearly ranks last in the majors in OPS. They do steal a good number of bases with Marsee leading that charge. But that's small consolation for what has otherwise been a disappointing unit.
New York Mets: Widespread Offensive Woes
Juan Soto is more than carrying his weight here, homering in better than seven percent of his trips to the plate and boasting an OPS of .977. Among National League players with at least 150 plate appearances, that is the highest mark.
But just like the Royals' situation in which Bobby Witt Jr. is a bright star in an otherwise empty sky, the Mets have gotten virtually nothing from the rest of their lineupโespecially recently with Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez and Luis Robert Jr. all on the IL.
Case in point: from May 14-28, Soto amassed eight home runs and an OPS of 1.402.
The rest of the Mets combined? Eleven home runs and an OPS of .601.
Philadelphia Phillies: Adolis Garcรญa
Nine games into the season, it looked like the Phillies might have scooped up the Adolis Garcรญa of yore. He had a pair of home runs and an early triple-slash nearly identical to his All-Star season with an .835 OPS with the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers.
In 47 games since, however, it's readily apparent that is not at all what the Phillies signed to replace Nick Castellanos in right field. Garcรญa also has two home runs in that much larger window of time, and a .538 OPS that almost ranks dead last among qualified hitters.
Throw in Justin Crawford's thoroughly underwhelming rookie season in center field and you can take it to the bank that the Phillies will be shopping for outfielders two months from now, if not sooner.
Washington Nationals: Pitching In General
There are some exceptions to the rule here, most notably former first-round picks Foster Griffin and Cade Cavalli both being healthy and effective for the first time in their MLB careers.
But while the Nationals can thank an MLB-high 311 runs scored for their 29 wins, they also have an MLB-high 317 runs allowed to thank for their 29 losses.
At least both Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell are now occasionally getting through appearances without getting shelled. Maybe Washington can have some staying power if that continues.
National League Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: The Pitching Staff
As of Saturday morning, Chicago Cubs hitters had amassed a combined total of 13.9 bWAR, good for the second-highest mark in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers at 14.7.
But Cubs pitching? It had a combined bWAR of 0.5, which would've been dead last if not for the Giants at a slightly worse 0.2.
Shota Imanaga got out to a great start to the year, but he has come crashing back to earth with 20 earned runs allowed in his last three outings. And with Edward Cabrera recently joining Cade Horton, Justin Steele and Matthew Boyd on the IL, it's little wonder that wins have become difficult to come by.
Cincinnati Reds: Most of the Pitching Staff
Unlike the Cubs, at least the Reds have a bona fide ace in Chase Burns. His fantastic start to the season has been overshadowed in an NL Cy Young race that features Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Sรกnchez, Shohei Ohtani, Paul Skenes, Chris Sale and more, but the 23-year-old Burns is 7-1 with a sub-2.00 ERA, a sub-1.00 WHIP and a K/9 north of 10.0.
While he has a 2.9 bWAR, though, the rest of the Reds pitching staff is at a cumulative 0.0 bWAR. And losing primary setup man and top reliever Graham Ashcraft to the 60-day IL on Friday may have been the straw that breaks this camel's back. (Hurry back, Hunter Greene.)
Milwaukee Brewers: Left Half of the Infield
For Milwaukee, it has been Joey Ortiz at shortstop, Luis Rengifo at third base and David Hamilton bouncing between those two spots. That trio has accounted for every single plate appearance the Brewers have made by either a third baseman or a shortstop.
For the year, that threesome has gone 81-for-391 (.207) with two home runs. None of the three is slugging better than .282, and the best OPS belongs to Hamilton at .597.
The Brewers somehow still rank top 10 in runs scored. But with that complete lack of production from 22 percent of the lineup, it's no surprise they are dead last in the majors in home runs (39) and third-to-last in slugging (.363).
Pittsburgh Pirates: Marcell Ozuna
The Pirates have seven players making at least $5M this year. Six of themโBrandon Lowe, Konnor Griffin, Bryan Reynolds, Ryan O'Hearn, Mitch Keller and Gregory Sotoโhave been worth every penny, especially Lowe operating at a full-season pace of 40 home runs and 102 RBI.
And then there's Marcell Ozuna, making $12M for a .573 OPS (.507 vs. RHP) and what has recently become a tenuous grasp on the primary DH role. Certainly not the return on investment that Pittsburgh was expecting, and it might not be much longer before this designated hitter gets designated for assignment if he doesn't turn things around post haste.
St. Louis Cardinals: Center Field
Because of his range on defense and his base-stealing ability, the Cardinals have given Victor Scott II a long leash to try to prove that he can hit MLB pitching.
However, his value added on defense is nowhere near what it was last season, he has been caught stealing in four of 11 attempts and what he is proving thus far in 2026 is that he can't reliably get on base, flirting with dead last in the majors in both OBP and OPS.
If they're in it to win it, they simply have to call up Joshua Bรกez, right? He has as many home runs (nine) in his last 14 games at Triple-A Memphis as Scott has in his 243-game MLB career.
National League West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: The Former Aces
Over the past six seasons, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly were the stalwarts of Arizona's pitching staff. They were responsible for more than half (151) of all quality starts by Diamondbacks pitchers (289) with nearly identical ERAs of 3.65 and 3.58, respectively. And this past winter, the Snakes re-signed both of them to short-term deals with salaries of at least $20M apiece.
At the moment, though, they each have an ERA north of 5.00, with Arizona sitting at .500 in their combined 20 starts. Kelly has been great lately, reeling off four consecutive quality starts against the Mets, Rockies and Giants (twice), but Gallen has been a mess in May, saddled with a 7.04 ERA over his last six appearances.
Colorado Rockies: Pitching
Colorado pitching had a moment early in the season. The Rockies held half of their first 12 opponents to two runs or fewer and ended April with a respectable 4.19 ERA. Chase Dollander was breaking out. Tomoyuki Sugano, Kyle Freeland and Jose Quintana all looked like great rentals for the trade block. Everything was coming up Rockies.
Then, May began.
Colorado has a 6.43 ERA in 26 games this month. Dollander and Quintana are both on the IL. Sugano has come back to earth with a 5.40 ERA. Freeland has crashed through the earth with 30 earned runs allowed in his last 21.2 innings. And Colorado is back to its all-too-familiar spot with both the worst record and worst run differential in the majors.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Left Field (Yet Again)
After posting a sub-par .682 OPS through the Dodgers' first 40 games, Teoscar Hernรกndez had been on fire with a 1.037 OPS from May 11-26.
However, Teo landed on the IL with a hamstring strain suffered on the 27th, as the Dodgers' apparent karmic payment for assembling this multi-year, costs-deferred juggernaut is perpetually having some sort of issue in left field. (Chris Taylor at the outset of 2024, Michael Conforto last year and now it's the Alex Call Show for the foreseeable future.)
They've won 13 of their last 15 games, though, so we'll see if this slows them down.
San Diego Padres: Stars Aren't Producing
The Padres have five position players counting for eight figures against their luxury tax payroll.
Let's check in on that quintet, shall we?
Throw in Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta on the IL and it is truly mystifying that this team is eight games above .500 while getting virtually nothing from more than $140M worth of tax payroll.
Is it a house of cards, or are the Padres going to become the World Series frontrunner once a few of those well-compensated underperformers flip the script?
San Francisco Giants: Scoring Runs
Luis Arraez might win another batting title, hitting .329. Casey Schmitt is having the best season of his career, playing all over the field with an OPS of nearly .900. And after entering May with a sub-.600 OPS, Willy Adames is doing his usual thing of starting to heat up along with the weather.
And yet, the Giantsโwho also have Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, Harrison Bader and Jung Hoo Leeโrank dead last in the majors in runs scored, averaging 3.68 per game played.
They've already been shut out eight times and have been held to two runs or fewer on 23 occasions, losing each and every one of those games. And at 13 games below .500, they're already just about out of time to figure things out.
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