MLB Season So Far: What's Happened in 2026?

Every MLB team has played more than 30 games. Yes, we are not even 20% of the way through the regular season yet, but we have a sufficient sample size to reflect on what the season has provided so far.

There are teams that are already making some preseason MLB picks look silly, while some players are changing how their careers are perceived.

Here are five of the key storylines from the first month-plus of the 2026 campaign:

Red Sox’s Woes

The 12-19 Red Sox have already changed manager. They are eight games off the pace in the AL East. The offense is in the bottom 10 in xwOBA and the pitching staff is 28th in xwOBA conceded.

Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray are on the injured list. Only the calamitous Mets have a lower wRC+. Masataka Yoshida, Wilyer Abreu, and Willson Contreras are the only above-average hitters.

This season couldn’t have started much worse for the Red Sox. The only positive is that the Blue Jays and Orioles have hardly got off to flying starts, and the Athletics are the only team across the AL West and AL Central with an above .500 record.

Murakami’s Homers

Tied with Yordan Alvarez and Aaron Judge for the majors home run lead, Munetaka Murakami has been one of the best hitters in baseball. It’s an extreme, three true outcomes approach, with 83 of Murakami’s 136 plate appearances ending in a big fly, walk, or strikeout.

He’s pulling the ball in the air at an elite rate when he does make contact. An 18.4% walk rate reflects great strike zone recognition, though the swing-for-the-fences approach results in Murakami posting one of the highest whiff rates in the big leagues.

Maybe that’s okay, though. He’s in the 90th percentile in xwOBA, the 82nd percentile in bat speed, and very few hitters are barrelling the ball more frequently.

Houston, We Have a Problem

Houston is one of two AL teams with a worse record than Boston. Suspicions the window had shut have been confirmed, though the Astros can take some solace from ranking fifth in xwOBA on offense.

Their offense is third in wRC+. Their pitching staff is the worst according to ERA and the bullpen has been woeful. At least the expected metrics are a little better, but a talent drain has caught up with the Astros with Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai, and Cristian Javier on the shelf.

Mike Burrows and Lance McCullers Jr. aren’t going to transform into aces. Houston needs a drastic improving from its pitching staff if it is to right a ship which is taking on considerable amounts of water.

Stellar Rookies

Four rookies are in the top 30 in position player fWAR. Two rookies are in the top six in pitcher fWAR, with Rhett Lowder sitting 16th at the time of writing. Early signs are we are poised for two stacked Rookie of the Year battles.

Sal Stewart, Kevin McGonigle, Nolan McLean, Murakami, and Parker Messick have been five of the standout performers. Smart swing decisions and an elite glove have immediately made JJ Wetherholt an impactful player.

Chase DeLauter, Samuel Basallo, Nathan Church, and Moisés Ballesteros have been above-average at the plate. Noah Schultz has impressed in three starts for the White Sox, and Andrew Painter has decent numbers.

Braves are Back

Atlanta has the best record in baseball and a 6.5-game lead in the NL East. The bullpen leads the majors in FIP. The offense is fourth in xwOBA.

A pitching staff decimated by injuries has been highly effective. This is no fluke either – the Braves are an elite team in xwOBA allowed by their pitchers, and while regression is inevitable for some of their back-end arms, Chris Sale and Bryce Elder have been a legitimately effective one-two punch.

It’s a case of waiting for Austin Riley and Mike Yastrzemski on offense. Everyone else has been mightily productive.

The defense is even tied for the second best in Baseball Savant’s outs above average. There are going to be challenges for this rotation down the road, but Atlanta already has a meaningful lead over its divisional rivals.