Digging Out: The Gritty Turnarounds of MLB's Second-Half Surges
AI-generated image · US National Wire
From mechanical tweaks to overcoming injuries, several stars fought through early-season slumps to rediscover their power.
The grueling 162-game MLB calendar often tests a player's mental fortitude, particularly when a slow start threatens to define a season. While some struggled to right the ship, others fought through the rust to emerge as late-season forces, as Sports Illustrated first reported.
San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. faced a stark early-season drought, going 56 games without a home run before finally going deep on May 30. Despite making solid contact, results didn't follow until August, when Tatis hit 17 homers in 45 games. Since the All-Star break, Tatis ranks second in MLB with 20 home runs and a .995 OPS.
His Padres teammate Jackson Merrill also struggled early, recording an OPS below .650 during each of the first three months as a result of swinging up on the ball. After reverting that approach midseason, Merrill launched 16 home runs in his final 60 games, ranking sixth league-wide in homers since the All-Star break with a .936 OPS.
In Chicago, Cubs 3B Alex Bregman overcame an inauspicious start following his free-agency signing. After hitting just nine home runs in his first 94 games, Bregman made a mechanical adjustment to a swing that had been too steep. The tweak led to a massive August featuring 12 home runs in 28 games and a second-half OPS of .978.
Meanwhile, Giants 1B Rafael Devers battled through a hamstring injury that sidelined him for most of spring training and left him with a .537 OPS through April. Once recovered, Devers surged, hitting 18 home runs in his final 52 games. Before a season-ending core injury, Devers posted a .987 OPS in the second half, ranking third in MLB.