Where's Juan Soto? One worrisome trend for every NL team

The New York Mets are riding high, but not everything is swell in Queens. And, oh my, things are irksome for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins and their fans.

With the regular season roughly a quarter over, Yardbarker MLB writers identify a worrisome trend for every National League team. (Records and statistics are through Sunday, May 18.)

NL East

ATLANTA BRAVES (24-23) | OF Michael Harris II’s offensive woes | The offense is nearly unrecognizable compared to what it was in 2023, when it had a MLB-record 307 home runs. Harris II isn’t all to blame for the struggles, but he has a .597 OPS with just 13 extra-base hits in 196 plate appearances and hasn't developed into the star the Braves expected.

MIAMI MARLINS (18-27) | RHP Sandy Alcantara | The former NL Cy Young Award winner has produced an uncharacteristic 7.99 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in nine starts, not only hurting the Marlins but decreasing his trade value. Alcantara’s best outings have come against weaker opponents (a season-high six innings on April 23 vs. the Cincinnati Reds and a season-high eight Ks on May 11 against the Chicago White Sox.)

NEW YORK METS (29-18) | Where’s Juan Soto? | In his return to Yankee Stadium (May 16-18), Soto went 1-for-10, bringing his season average down to .246 with eight homers and 20 RBI. At this point last year, Soto was batting .317 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. He has a .822 OPS in 2025 and plenty of time to turn it around, but his Mets career has underwhelmed so far.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (28-18) | The bullpen | It suffered a huge loss Sunday with the news of Jose Alvarado’s PED suspension. Philadelphia will be without a crucial lefty for 80 games and the postseason, so the rest of the bullpen (4.57 ERA in 46 games) must be better in his absence. 

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (21-27) | Lack of power | The Nationals are a young club that, outside of SS CJ Abrams and LF James Wood, doesn't have much pop. Abrams (.522) and Wood (.536) are the only ones with slugging percentages over .500, while Wood leads the team in homers with 12. Acquiring a proven slugger in the near future to mentor these up-and-coming hitters would help. — Lauren Amour

NL West

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (25-22) | The bullpen | Arizona’s relievers have been a focal point since the offseason, when general manager Mike Hazen’s plan to strengthen the bullpen didn’t come together. Diamondbacks relievers continue to struggle, posting a combined 5.34 ERA, making Arizona one of four MLB teams with a 5.00 ERA or higher in the bullpen. 

COLORADO ROCKIES (8-38) | CF Brenton Doyle’s regression | Doyle, 27, is still a strength on defense as the two-time reigning Gold Glove winner in center field. However, he’s hitting just .125 over his past 56 at-bats and .203 on the season, a sharp drop from last year’s .260 batting average.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (29-18) | The health of the rotation | The Dodgers put together a masterclass in building a star-studded rotation in the offseason. However, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are among those on the injured list, testing the team's depth in a competitive NL West.

SAN DIEGO PADRES (27-18) | Left field | San Diego is still searching for a consistent and productive answer in left field (seven different players so far). But they have combined for a minus-1.1 Wins Above Average, tying San Diego for next to last in MLB at the position.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (28-19) | RHP Jordan Hicks | Plenty has gone right for the Giants as they hover near the top of the division. However, Hicks is struggling (6.55 ERA) and now shuffled back to the bullpen in the middle of a four-year, $44M deal. He was expected to be a starter, so it’s worth watching how he responds and San Francisco fills his rotation spot. — Kevin Henry

NL Central 

CHICAGO CUBS (28-19)  | Early deficits in nearly every game | Despite winning seven of their past nine games, the Cubs have found themselves frequently trailing early. They have fallen behind in four of their past five games and seven of their past 10.

CINCINNATI REDS (24-24) | Left field is a constant rotation | Left field has been a revolving door for the Reds. In just 48 games, seven different players — Blake Dunn, Gavin Lux, Austin Hays, Jacob Hurtubise, Connor Joe, Tyler Callihan and Will Benson — have taken turns at the position.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (22-25) | Offense is sinking | Milwaukee’s offense has struggled to produce runs recently, failing to score in four of its past six games. As a team in May, the Brewers are slashing .184/.258/.278 with just 10 home runs and 38 RBI in 16 games.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (15-32) | Paul Skenes continues to go to waste | In his second season, Skenes has a 2.44 ERA — the fourth best in the NL — through 10 starts but is only 3-5. With the Pirates at the bottom of the NL Central and neglecting to help their offense, his impact remains minimal.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (26-21)  | An unexpected winning streak | Perhaps this is counterintuitive, but the Cardinals were expected to trade several key players — most notably third baseman Nolan Arenado — to start rebuilding. But with a strong start, a fire sale now seems unlikely, and if they fall short of the postseason while making no trades, they could find themselves in a difficult position for the future. — Taylor Bretl