Entering the 2026 season, the Dodgers offense on paper consisted of an overwhelming juggernaut of former (and current) MVPs and All Stars, announcing themselves as one of the best lineups in baseball. Six games into the regular season, it has been anything but that.
The Dodgers were nearly shut out twice at home against the Cleveland Guardians after sweeping Arizona to begin the year. They are tied for 20th among all teams in runs scored and at 14th in team OPS. The treacherous trio at the top of the lineup all have batting averages under .200, which features the reigning two-time NL MVP, the Dodgers brand new $60 million right fielder and a four-time World Series champion.
While the focus has been on the struggling offense as a whole, Andy Pages, on the other hand, is having quite a remarkable start to the year. He currently leads the Dodgers in batting average at .429 and leads the team in OPS among all players with at least 10 plate appearances. Although the Dodgers slumped against Cleveland, Pages had multi-hit games in all three contests, including a 3-3 performance in Wednesday’s loss.
Freddie Freeman, though not as drastically as the top three hitters has mired in an early slump, noted that Pages has been hitting well since the beginning of spring training and that the rest of the offense will look forward to picking up the pace during the team’s first road trip, per Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register.
“Andy’s been great since spring training,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said after Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. “He’s one of the ones that carried it from spring training into the season. Andy looks good, both sides of the ball. Really happy for him. So hopefully the rest of us can join him on Friday.”
Jim Callis of MLB.com writes about which Dodgers prospects to focus on throughout the 2026 season. Callis named outfielder James Tibbs III as a can’t miss prospect that has the potential to crack the big league roster later in the year.
Tibbs in his first sample size of Triple-A ball has been a force at the plate, as he’s currently tied for second in the Pacific Coast League in batting average while slashing .500/.552/1.192 with four home runs, four doubles, 10 RBI and 11 runs scored over his first six games.
In half of the Dodgers’ first six games, fans have had the privilege of one of the most electric entrances for any pitcher in the game. Flashing strobe lights emerge, the blaring of trumpets engulf the crowd, and new star closer Edwin Díaz becomes the center of attention towards the end of the game.
Per Hernández: “Everybody was waiting for that moment,” Hernández said. “I wanted to watch everything: Him coming out of the bullpen and getting all the way to the mound. I’m happy that he’s here now.”
Per Freeman: “When Edwin comes in the game, that means something good’s happening for the Dodgers,” Freddie Freeman said. “So I’m a fan.”
