The Los Angeles Dodgers, heading into the All-Star break, hold the best record in baseball and an 11.5-game division lead, but there are a few players who have been far from their best.
The Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches on pitching and in terms of positional players, but while most have been good for most of the season, there are some disappointments.
Disappointment can come in the form of performance or injuries, with the team needing either better health or a resurgence.
Baseball is a sport full of ups and downs, and these players have been on a downward trend and need to show more of their abilities.
Here are four players who stand out as those who should offer more than they did in the second half.
Kyle Tucker
For Tucker to be worth his contract, he would need a complete turnaround, including a dominant post-All-Star break and postseason.
The lefty is hitting .244 at the plate, along with a .716 OPS. He has been above replacement level, posting a 0.9 fWAR, and he has a league-average 102 wRC+.
However, things have been better recently. Since June 12, he has a .372 xwOBA and has a better 108 wRC+. Additionally, his batting average is at .264.
The problem is that he is not getting too much hard contact, which translates to a good slug rate.
The good news? He made a good deal of hard contact during the last series before the All-Star break against the D-Backs, as Dave Roberts noted.
There is plenty of reason to be optimistic that the best of Tucker is yet to come, mainly because what he has shown thus far has been so average for a player known as consistently above that level.
The Dodgers can win the World Series without a good Kyle Tucker, but it becomes a whole lot harder.
Alex Freeland
The Dodgers have a soft spot for Freeland, whom they have given a long leash.
However, his offensive problem is totally lackluster. In 69 games and 220 plate appearances, he is hitting .234 and has a 79 wRC+. His 0.4 fWAR comes from his glove work.
Since June 12th, his wRC+ has fallen to 54. He is pretty good at making contact, keeping his batting average at a slightly below average level.
The problem comes with his lack of on-base ability due to whiffing so much, a 29.3% clip. He sits at the 24th percentile in whiff rate despite not chasing much; 22.1% is good for the 91st percentile.
Kike Hernandez will come back and take his spot, but Freeland is seemingly set to be counted on in case any more injuries happen.
As fans learned last year, it is more likely than not that an injury will come, and Freeland’s batting production needs to get better.
Blake Snell (and Tyler Glasnow)
Blake Snell has only pitched one MLB game, while Glasnow has not pitched since May. This is similar to 2025, when both pitchers missed a ton of time in the first half of the season before ramping up in the fall.
The hope is that things play out the same again, taking a healthy Glasnow and Snell in October over May.
However, with Ohtani dealing with knee issues from pitching and the trade deadline approaching, the Dodgers need to know what they can get out of these guys soon.
Glasnow is just starting to do fastball-only bullpen sessions, while Snell is heading back on the rehab circuit.
