Astros, Blue Jays, & Royals Emerge As Next Struggling Teams On MLB Panic Meter

Joe Espada, John Schneider, & Matt Quatraro (Photos by Imagn)

Astros, Blue Jays, & Royals Emerge As Next Struggling Teams On MLB Panic Meter

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports
By Paranjoy Goswami | Last updated Apr 29, 2026 2:17 PM ET

MLB Update: The Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora on Saturday, with the team making a very slow start to the season. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies dismissed Rob Thomson on Tuesday for the same reason. New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is now in the hot seat. However, the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and Kansas City Royals are also struggling badly.

ESPN recently released its verdict regarding the fortunes of these teams in its panic meter rating on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the depth of the calamity. They rated the Kansas City Royals at just 2 and the Toronto Blue Jays at 3. However, the Houston Astros received a rating of 4 from MLB insider Jeff Passan.

“They have allowed the most runs in Major League Baseball. Their defensive range is straight-up bad. When you cannot throw the ball or catch the ball, you tend to give up more runs than you score, even with a good offense,” Passan wrote.

MLB panic meter: Which struggling teams have the most to worry about?

The Red Sox, Mets and Phillies aren't the only clubs off to disappointing starts.https://t.co/ut9FMNTMcd
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 29, 2026

The Astros are sitting at the bottom of the American League West after the first month of the season. They presently have an 11-19 record, with a 4.5-game deficit to the division leaders.

Postseason Out Reach For Astros, Says MLB Insider

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Houston Astros will not be able to salvage a postseason berth after their dreadful start to the 2026 campaign. He feels the injuries to their pitching staff leave too big a challenge for their offense to provide adequate run support.

“No. Even if Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, and Cristian Javier return from arm injuries, it won’t be until late May at earliest, and by then the Astros will have suffered through two months of rough pitching. It’s one thing to dig a hole. It’s another to bury yourself,” Passan stated.

Last year, the Astros finished second in the MLB AL West with an 87-75 record. Yet it was not enough to earn them a playoff spot via the wild card route.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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