Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani Headline 4 MLB Stars Off to Ice-Cold Starts

We're about one week into the 2026 Major League Baseball season and it already has been a fun one.

There are a handful rookies tearing up right now already in the big leagues, including St. Louis Cardinals phenom JJ Wetherholt, Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle, New York Mets starter Nolan McLean and Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami, among others. There haven't been a lot of surprises yet in the standings. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the Los Angeles Dodgers. They've looked good so far as they look to win their third straight World Series title. The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays have been really good so far as well. Also, despite another offseason without a ton of additions — and after trading another key piece away in Freddy Peralta — the Milwaukee Brewers have picked up right where they left off.

It's been a fun season in general. It's obviously very early. Again, we're not even one full week into the new season. But there have been a few stars who have uncharacteristically struggled to kick off the season.

Here are five Major League Baseball stars who would've preferred a better start to the 2026 campaign.

Aaron Judge — New York Yankees

Mar 28, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants in the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Games: 4

Home Runs: 2

RBIs: 3

Doubles: 0

Slash Line: .188/.235/.563 with a .798 OPS

Breakdown: Judge has hit the ball out of the ballpark, but he's just 3-for-16 on the season so far with eight strikeouts. The two home runs are good, but the strikeouts are high and he hasn't been getting on base at the same rate. Last year, he finished the season with a .457 on-base percentage. In 2026 so far, his on-base percentage is .235.

Shohei Ohtani — Los Angeles Dodgers

Mar 30, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a single against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Games: 4

Home Runs: 0

RBIs: 0

Doubles: 0

Slash Line: .167/.412/.167 with a .578 OPS

Breakdown: Ohtani has been getting on base thanks to his four walks, but he's 2-for-12 so far on the season without an extra-base hit. That's almost shocking to right, even though it's a small sample size.

Josh Naylor — Seattle Mariners

Mar 29, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (12) fields a ball hit by Cleveland Guardians center fielder Steven Kwan (38) (not pictured) during the third inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Games: 5

Home Runs: 0

RBIs: 0

Doubles: 0

Slash Line: .000/.136/.000 with a .136 OPS

Breakdown: Now, this isn't what you expect to see from the one-time All-Star. Naylor is 0-for-19 on the season so far after landing a long-term deal with the Mariners this past offseason. Pretty surprising, to say the least.

Julio Rodríguez — Seattle Mariners

Mar 29, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) scores a run off an RBI double hit by Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Games: 5

Home Runs: 0

RBIs: 1

Doubles: 0

Slash Line: .053/.182/.053 with a .234 OPS.

Breakdown: Like Naylor above, this certainly isn't the expectation for Rodríguez. Again, it's a small sample size, but he's 1-for-19 on the season with three walks and eight strikeouts. Not what you want.