Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
With the 2025 MLB season off to an explosive start, look out for these struggling stars to turn it around.
Mike Trout
Trout spent almost all of 2024 on the injured list, playing in only 29 games, and it's looking like he still may need more time to get back into form. The 33-year-old has played more than 100 games in a season only once in the past half-decade and just 319 total games since 2020.
It also doesn't help that the injury-prone Trout took a fastball off his hand during his first at-bat of the season. In four games this season, he has one hit in 13 at-bats and three strikeouts for an unsightly .077 average. Nonetheless, the three-time MVP has proved that as long as he can stay on the field, he can produce at an elite level.
Even though he is beginning his age-34 season, Trout can still be one of the best overall players in the American League and is a sneaky underdog pick for the AL MVP award.
Rafael Devers
Boston's cornerstone slugger is having a historically bad start to his season, starting 0-19 at the plate with a whopping 15 strikeouts. The 28-year-old got himself into some controversy this offseason after the team signed Alex Bregman to play third base, and he was initially not happy with the team's decision to make him the full-time designated hitter.
When watching Devers' early-season at-bats, he is undoubtedly out of synch from his usual midseason mechanics. This may be a mental block caused by the shift of moving to DH, as some hitters overthink their at-bats when they don't get the chance to go back into the field to clear their minds.
Regardless, Devers didn't forget how to hit. He is second in the league in total bases and fifth in RBI since 2019, and he has the offensive ability to carry an entire team when he is at his best. Expect the two-time Silver Slugger to break through during his next few series.
Emmanuel Clase
The Guardians' fire-balling closer was electric last season, closing out 47 of 50 save opportunities. While he hasn't caused Cleveland to lose a game yet, he has shown signs of his shaky postseason form, allowing one run on three hits and blowing the save on Opening Day.
Along with this, Clase misfired a fastball into the head of Royals second baseman Jonathan India during his second outing of the season, making it back-to-back bumpy appearances for him.
Besides this, the two-time Reliever of the Year has been one of the most dominant closers we have seen in recent years, posting an unreal 0.61 ERA last season. With this in mind, it would be safe to assume that the 27-year-old is ready to follow up with another outstanding season.
With the MLB season less than a full week in, it is easy to jump to conclusions and get worried about certain stars, but it's not uncommon for players to take some time to adjust back into the season. As for these struggling superstars, expect them to shift into gear very soon.
