Nine MLB Players Who Shook Off Slow Starts and Got Hot in the Second Half

The 162-game schedule of the MLB season is a long slog, and players often go through slumps at different points of the year. When those slumps occur at the beginning of the season, it can often color our perception of a player’s entire campaign. But that's not always fair.

Oftentimes they just need to shake off the rust of the offseason or take some time to make a correction to their swing or pitching mechanics before they start seeing desired results. There were a number of notable players who got off to lackluster starts this year, and while some of those players, such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kyle Tucker, failed to right the ship, others were able to rebound and get back on track.

For example, Fernando Tatis Jr. didn’t have a single home run until he finally went yard on May 30. Fast forward to the end of the season, and the Padres star has been outstanding, having made up for his rather unlucky start to the campaign.

We’re going to look at 10 players who got off to slow starts but turned things around in a big way during the second half of the season. [Editor’s note: All stats are updated entering Wednesday’s games.]

Rafael Devers, Giants 1B

MLB — Rafael Devers had a .988 OPS in the second half of the season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First half stats: 96 G, 19 HR, 52 RBI, 111 SO, .799 OPS
Second half stats: 52 G, 18 HR, 46 RBI, 50 SO, .988 OPS

Devers got off to a slow start this year, so much so that he was starting to look like a long-term albatross for the Giants. After missing most of spring training while nursing a hamstring injury, the 29-year-old had an abysmal first month. He entered May with a .537 OPS through his first 31 games, but he turned things around after that, perhaps the result of being fully recovered from his ailing hamstring. Devers recorded an OPS higher than .900 in four of the next five months, and since the All-Star break, prior to landing on the IL last week with a season-ending core injury, Devers had been one of MLB’s hitters.

During the second half of the season, Devers ranks third in MLB with a .987 OPS, trailing only Pete Crow-Armstrong and Fernando Tatis Jr. It took Devers 96 games to reach 19 home runs this season, but he had 18 homers in his last 52 games, which ranks fourth league-wide since the All-Star break.

Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres RF/2B

First half stats: 95 G, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 23 SB, 87 SO, .713 OPS
Second half stats: 59 G, 20 HR, 46 RBI, 13 SB, 39 SO, .995 OPS

As mentioned above, Tatis went 56 games without a home run this season before finally going deep on May 30. Since then, he’s hit 24 more home runs in 98 games, helping put the Padres on the brink of a postseason berth.

Tatis was getting extremely unlucky at the start of the year. He was hitting the ball hard and making solid contact, but simply was not getting the desired results. In terms of power at the plate, Tatis didn’t truly take off until August. Through the end of July, Tatis had hit just eight home runs, but he proceeded to hit 17 homers in 45 games in August and September, having elevated his game to an MVP level during the final two months of the year. Since the All-Star break, Tatis ranks second in MLB with 20 home runs and a .995 OPS, trailing only Pete Crow-Armstrong in both categories.

Jackson Merrill, Padres CF

Jackson Merrill had a rough start to the year, but has since been one of MLB’s hottest hitters. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First half stats: 93 G, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 19 SB, 98 SO, .628 OPS
Second half stats: 60 G, 16 HR, 48 RBI, 7 SB, 57 SO, .937 OPS

Tatis wasn’t the only Padres player who got off to a slow start. Merrill had a disastrous first few months, hitting for a sub-.650 OPS in each of the first three months. His efforts to pull the ball and hit for more power backfired. Merrill was swinging up on the ball too much, resulting in a lot of pop flies and soft contact. But he reverted that change midseason, and the results have been plain to see.

After hitting 10 home runs in his first 93 games, Merrill has launched 16 bombs in his last 60 games, and he improved his OPS by more than 300 points in that span. Since the All-Star break, Merrill ranks seventh in MLB with a .936 OPS and his 16 home runs rank sixth league-wide.

Alex Bregman, Cubs 3B

First half stats: 94 G, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 66 SO, .696 OPS
Second half stats: 59 G, 17 HR, 48 RBI, 35 SO, .978 OPS

Bregman’s tenure in Chicago started inauspiciously after he signed with the Cubs in free agency, but he’s erased any doubts fans may have had during what’s been a stellar second half. Bregman wasn’t making much of an impact in the first half, hitting just nine home runs, 25 extra-base hits and logging a .359 slugging percentage in his first 94 games. That changed dramatically after the All-Star break, as the veteran infielder enjoyed a massive month of August during which he hit 12 home runs in 28 games.

A mechanical adjustment to his swing seems to have helped him shake free from his slump, as he was getting a bit too steep with his swing during the earlier months of the season. That minor tweak has enabled him to make harder contact, and he owns a .600 slugging percentage during the second half, which has elevated his OPS to an excellent .978 figure over the last 59 games.

Steven Kwan, Guardians LF

Steven Kwan’s .354 batting average since the All-Star break is tied for the best in MLB. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First half stats: 89 G, 1 HR, 16 RBI, .225 BA, .614 OPS
Second half stats: 57 G, 2 HR, 15 RBI, .354 BA, .871 OPS

Kwan has been one of MLB’s most consistent contact hitters for most of his career, but he was struggling even in that department out of the gate. After 89 games this season, the Guardians outfielder was batting just .225. Much of his struggles can be attributed to Kwan trying to hit more for power after seeing some moderate success in that regard the last two seasons. But as pitchers attacked him up in the zone, Kwan was struggling to get his barrel to the ball, and wasn’t hitting for power or contact. He’s snapped back to his contact-first approach, which has helped him turn things around in the second half.

In his last 57 games, he’s been one of MLB’s best hitters. His post-All-Star break batting average of .354 is tied with Chandler Simpson for the best in MLB, and he’s recorded 79 hits with an OPS up to .871 during that span.

Mookie Betts, Dodgers SS

First half stats: 60 G, 11 HR, 31 RBI, .235 BA, .709 OPS
Second half stats: 57 G, 11 HR, 36 RBI, .284 BA, .853 OPS

Betts got off to a lackluster start to this season after enduring a down year in 2025. Much of his woes this season can be attributed to bad luck on batted balls. In April and May, Betts posted brutal BABIPs of .136 and .175, respectively. He experienced similar woes in July, when he recorded a .214 BABIP and a .205 batting average.

His fortunes have turned of late, however, and the Dodgers star has been on fire in September. This month, Betts has hit six home runs and recorded 20 RBIs in 17 games, and he’s batting .373 with 25 hits during that span. His 1.215 OPS is the highest he’s had in a single month since August of ‘23.

Aaron Nola, Phillies SP

MLB — Aaron Nola has a 2.78 ERA in his last 12 starts, turning things around after a rough start to the season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First half stats: 19 GS, 97 IP, 102 SO, 31 BB, 5.75 ERA
Second half stats: 12 GS, 71 1/3 IP, 67 SO, 27 BB, 2.78 ERA

Nola’s struggles date back further than the first half of this season. He endured a disappointing 2025 season in which he had a career-worst 6.01 ERA. The start of the ‘26 campaign was trending in a similar direction, with Nola logging a 5.75 ERA and 1.43 WHIP while surrendering 20 home runs in his first 19 starts. He also struggled to pitch deep into games. Through the month of June, Nola pitched six or more innings in just four of his 17 starts. Since then, he’s gone six-plus innings in eight of his last 14 outings.

While he’s still been a victim of the long ball over his last 12 outings, during which he’s surrendered 14 home runs, he’s had far better results on the mound, pitching to a 2.78 ERA over his last 71 1/3 innings.

Reid Detmers, Angels SP

First half stats: 19 GS, 108 2/3 IP, 123 SO, 35 BB, 4.39 ERA
Second half stats: 12 GS, 70 1/3 IP, 81 SO, 11 BB, 2.05 ERA

Detmers’s first half wasn’t dreadful. He was striking out plenty of hitters but struggled a bit with walks and had bouts of inconsistency, resulting in a 4.39 ERA through his first 19 outings. But even before the Angels made an organization shake-up and rebuilt the team’s entire major-league pitching coaching staff, Detmers has found another level and looks like a future ace.

In his last 12 starts, Detmers owns a 2.05 ERA, which ranks sixth in MLB since the All-Star break. He’s issued just 11 walks and has a 0.89 WHIP in that same span, both of which rank inside the top 10 among all qualified starters. In nine of his 12 most recent outings, Detmers has surrendered two or fewer runs.

Bryan Abreu, Astros RP

Houston Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu — Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu improved his command in the second half to save his season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First half stats: 34 G, 31 IP, 2–3, 5 saves, 40 SO, 26 BB, 5.81 ERA
Second half stats: 30 G, 29 1/3 IP, 4–1, 3 saves, 39 SO, 14 BB, 1.84 ERA

Abreu has never exhibited the best control out of the bullpen for the Astros over his eight seasons in the majors, but he really lost his touch out of the gate this year. He walked four of the first nine batters he faced and issued a whopping 15 free passes in 9 1/3 innings through April, also allowing four home runs in that span. That had his ERA all the way up to 12.54 entering May. He continued to struggle with his command to a lesser degree in the coming months and lost his role as a top setup man in June, but he worked his way back over the summer and is once again being trusted with holding leads in the late innings.

His 15.4% walk rate for the season still ranks in the bottom first percentile of the league, but his place in the 97th percentile of whiff rate explains why Houston gave him a chance to fix what was ailing him in the majors.

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