The dog days of summer have arrived in Major League Baseball. With fewer than seven weeks remaining in the regular season, every game now carries significant weight for teams eyeing a postseason berth. The July 30 trade deadline was a whirlwind of activity, as teams sought to gear up for the final stretch.
Enrique Hernández's Vision Improvement
One player who has seen a notable shift in his performance is Enrique Hernández. Recently thrust into a more prominent role at third base after Max Muncy's oblique injury, Hernández faced his own challenge—astigmatism in his right eye. Before the All-Star break, Hernández’s batting line was a dismal .191/.258/.299. Concerned about his vision issues, he approached his peers for advice.
"(Maldonado) told me that him and a couple of his teammates needed glasses, and they didn't really know through the spring training test. They went through a more thorough test [to learn they needed glasses]. So I was like, 'Alright, I'm gonna try it out,'" said Hernández.
After being fitted for eyeglasses, Hernández exhibited significant improvement in his contact and chase rates, demonstrating that clarity of vision can indeed translate to performance on the field. With Muncy starting a minor-league rehab assignment, Hernández is expected to return to his utility role upon Muncy's return. For now, Hernández’s resurgence at the plate has been a timely development.
Mookie Betts' Return and MJ Melendez’s High-Leverage Brilliance
Mookie Betts recently made his comeback, adding more depth to a competitive roster. Meanwhile, MJ Melendez has provided his own brand of late-game heroics. Sporting a .205/.267/.403 slash line, Melendez’s overall performance might seem underwhelming, 28% below league average when adjusted for ballpark conditions. However, his situational hitting tells a different story.
With left fielders averaging .243/.314/.398, Melendez’s .267 on-base percentage might not impress at first glance. Yet, he ranks sixth among 234 hitters with at least 25 high-leverage plate appearances in weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+).
One of Melendez’s standout moments came when he smashed a go-ahead, pinch-hit, three-run home run with the Royals trailing 2-0 and two outs in the ninth inning against Detroit. The hit is ranked as the third-biggest in baseball this season and is noted as the largest non-walk-off hit of the year. Melendez has also been responsible for three of Kansas City's nine biggest hits by Clutch-Performed Action (CPA) this season.
"I like to be in those situations. It is do or die and that's a lot of fun. I'm going to be ready late in games, whether they need me to hit or play defense. I have to stay as locked in as possible, just like I'm in the game," Melendez remarked about his clutch performances.
Margot’s Pinch-Hit Struggles
Elsewhere in the league, Margot has faced his own set of challenges. Over the last nine months, he has been on three different teams and has started only 52 of his team's 118 games as of Tuesday. Despite leading the league with 31 pinch-hit plate appearances, his performance in these situations has been far from stellar.
Margot's batting line as a pinch-hitter stands at .000/.129/.000, going 0 for 27 with four walks and five strikeouts. Before 2024, he had recorded just 66 career pinch-hit plate appearances. This year’s struggles have highlighted the difficulty of adapting to a role that requires immediate impact without the rhythm that regular at-bats provide.
The Final Stretch
As the regular season nears its final stretch, the spotlight will stay fixed on players like Hernández, Melendez, and Margot as they navigate their respective roles and challenges. Each narrative adds another layer of complexity to the unfolding drama of Major League Baseball. Every at-bat now carries the weight of the postseason, and the ability to adapt will ultimately shape the final standings, writing new chapters in the annals of the sport.