The 2026 Replacement-Level Killers: Left Field & Center Field

Having gone around the horn during the first three entries of this series, it’s time to turn to the outfield. In a break from tradition, instead of looking at the teams with trouble at either corner in one fell swoop, this time I’m addressing the ones receiving less-than-acceptable production from their left and center fielders. Right fielders will get a standalone list in order to keep the length of these articles manageable. There’s still some crossover between today’s positions and their respective lists, with two contenders double-dipping.

While still focusing on clubs that meet the loose definition of contenders (a .500 record or Playoff Odds of at least 10%), and that have gotten about 0.6 WAR or less out of a position thus far (which prorates to 1.0 WAR over a full season), I’ve also incorporated our Depth Charts’ rest-of-season WAR projections into the equation for an additional perspective. Sometimes that may suggest that the team will clear the bar by a significant margin, but even so, I’ve included them here because the team’s performance is worth a look.

As noted previously, some of these situations are more dire than others, particularly within the context of the rest of a team’s roster. The capsules are listed in order of their left field rankings first, while noting those crossover teams with an asterisk. As always, I don’t expect every team here to go out and track down upgrades before the August 3 trade deadline, but these are ones to keep an eye on.

Guardians

Steven Kwan has made two All-Star teams thanks to his incredible bat-to-ball skills, but when the hits aren’t falling, the limitations of his offensive profile become more apparent. He’s hitting just .225/.332/.282 for a career-low 81 wRC+, and doing it while splitting time between left field (37 starts) and center (46 starts); he’s produced just a 74 wRC+ during his time in left, and not even his typically Gold Glove-caliber defense (7 DRS, 2 FRV) has been enough to offset that. Despite his annually-stated desire to hit for more power, he’s done the opposite, with reduced bat speed — an average swing of 62.7 mph, down from 63.7 last year and 64.4 in 2024 — contributing to his woes. As Davy Andrews wrote last month, “Kwan’s hardest-hit ball of the season left the bat at 101.1 mph. In all of his previous seasons, that wouldn’t even be enough to make it into the top 15.”

Kwan is walking 13% of the time, the product of career-low 36% swing rate, but even with a career-low 2.6% swinging strike rate, his 10.2% strikeout rate is the second highest of his career. His approach isn’t working, a problem that has been exacerbated by the struggles of Angel Martínez while manning left. Martínez has hit a lopsided .239/.276/.442 (98 wRC+) overall but has produced just a 68 wRC+ in his 43 games (35 starts) in left; he has another 25 starts in right and five in center. He’s not starting anywhere now, as he’s been sidelined since fouling a ball off his left foot on June 13, suffering a non-displaced fracture in the same game that ultimately sent Chase DeLauter and José Ramírez to the injured list. During Martínez’s absence, David Fry has accounted for two of the team’s five homers from left fielders in just 36 plate appearances, the most of any of the other six players who have spent time here.

Kwan has heated up in July, and he’s been very playable in center field (where the team’s 0.7 WAR just missed the cut), so the Guardians at least have a couple different paths to upgrade, though history says they’re more likely to continue to shuffle through their in-house options.

Diamondbacks*

Former All-Star Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been limited to just 46 games this year, including just 35 starts in left. His recovery from a September 2025 surgery to repair a torn right ACL delayed his season debut until April 18, and then he missed another three weeks due to a left hamstring strain starting in late May. When he’s been available, he’s been a shadow of his former self, hitting .211/.259/.292 (51 wRC+) while struggling to make hard contact. His maximum exit velocity has dropped from 109.1 mph to 106.1, his barrel rate from 7.2% to 4.3%, and his xSLG from .420 to .319.

Of the seven other players the team has used in left thus far, 24-year-old rookie Tommy Troy and 27-year-old second-year player Tim Tawa have seen the most time there, with the former making 21 starts and the latter 14. Troy, a 50-FV prospect who placed 98th on our preseason Top 100 Prospects list, is a recent convert from second base, with excellent speed and decent power. He’s hit for a 104 wRC+ in 78 plate appearances as a left fielder, but with last month’s addition of Max Kepler, he started 14 of Arizona’s last 18 games in center field. Not only has his offense faded to the point that he’s hitting .223/.299/.364 (83 wRC+) overall, he landed on the IL last week due to a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder, and his prognosis is unclear. Tawa, who has also spotted in center and at first, second, and third base, has hit a strikingly similar .214/.295/.381 (85 wRC+).

Troy had been playing center because the team had cycled through a few other options. Alek Thomas hit just .181/.222/.340 (50 wRC+) before being traded on May 12 to the Dodgers, for whom he’s become a minor league depth piece. Ryan Waldschmidt, a 2024 first-round pick out of the University of Kentucky, was initially called up when Thomas was designated for assignment, then was optioned to Triple-A Reno in mid-June before returning to replace Troy on the roster. He’s a well-rounded 23-year-old 50-FV prospect with 30-homer potential who placed 35th on our Top 100, but things haven’t clicked for him yet. In 29 starts in center, four in left, and a lot of in-game movement between the two positions, he’s hit just .250/.307/.345 (80 wRC+).

The 33-year-old Kepler signed with the Diamondbacks last month near the end of an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. He hit just .216/.300/.391 with a 90 wRC+ last year with the Phillies, his fourth season out of five with a wRC+ below 100. He’s off to an even slower start with the Diamondbacks, batting .200/.211/.343 (41 wRC+). Righty-swinging Jordan Lawlar, a 23-year-old converted infielder who has been limited to 12 games due to a right wrist fracture (suffered in early April) and a right hamstring strain (suffered in late June), split time between left and center between his injuries, and figures to get a longer look at one position or the other given the promise he recently held as a 55-FV prospect. He’s begun hitting in the cage and running, so a rehab assignment could be close. Odds are that the Diamondbacks will continue trying to piece things together internally, with the lefty-swinging Kepler fitting into some kind of platoon and Waldschmidt getting a long look himself.

Rangers

Rangers left fielders — primarily Wyatt Langford, with substantial contributions from Sam Haggerty and Evan Carter — placed fourth at this position in our preseason Positional Power Rankings, but Langford has been limited to just 32 games here, and 44 overall, due to a right forearm strain that knocked him out for about six weeks starting in late April and then a left hamstring that felled him in late June. When he’s played, he’s hit a robust .275/.325/.494 (128 wRC+). Of the nine other Rangers who have played left field, only one has more than 37 plate appearances at the spot, namely Alejandro Osuna, who has hit a thin .232/.351/.272 (89 wRC+) and has somehow generated -7 FRV (and -2 DRS) in 348 innings in left. Both he and Langford have spent time in center field as well, mainly while the oft-injured Carter — who has yet to make an appearance in left — was sidelined for a couple weeks last month due to an oblique strain.

With Carter and Langford both healthy now — an all-too-rare occurrence — Rangers left fielders project to produce 1.6 WAR over the rest of the season, more than any team besides the Mets (who have Juan Soto). Nearly all of that production is expected to come from the 24-year-old Langford. If that happens, the Rangers will be sitting pretty, at least on this front.

Phillies

Brandon Marsh is hitting .301/.339/.490 (123 wRC+), leading the league in Wet Look yet again, and coming off his first All-Star appearance. The Phillies are on this list not because of his play but because during his forays into center (13 appearances) and right (14 appearances), things have largely gone to seed in left. Yes, Kyle Schwarber has gone 4-for-8 with two doubles and a homer in his two games in left, and Edmundo Sosa has hit a couple of bombs in his 17 appearances there, but somehow Otto Kemp has gone 1-for-23 without a walk and with -3 DRS and -3 FRV in just 63 innings in left, netting -0.8 WAR at this position alone. If Don Mattingly and his coaching staff can make sure he’s not playing the position blindfolded, or can avoid the temptation to move Marsh around — not easy given that the Phillies are again in Killers territory in right field — this shouldn’t be a major issue going forward. They have plenty of other problems to deal with.

Braves

Jurickson Profar’s year-long PED suspension threw the Braves a curveball with regards to their left field blueprint, with right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr.’s recurrent left hamstring woes further complicating things. Mauricio Dubón has made a team-high 45 starts in left despite beginning the season at shortstop due to the absence of Ha-Seong Kim. Overall, he’s hit a respectable .265/.319/.420 (103 wRC+) while matching his career high of 10 home runs, though he’s produced just a 90 wRC+ in his playing time in left. Mike Yastrzemski has split his time between the two corners, making 37 starts in left and another 25 in place of Acuña in right; overall, he’s hit a meek .230/.321/.365 (92 wRC+), and this past weekend, he landed on the injured list due to inflammation in his left elbow. Eli White, who has made 17 starts in left, has totaled just 35 plate appearance in that capacity, understandable given that he’s hitting just .226/.280/.391 (82 wRC+).

Given that the Braves have gone just 15-20 since the start of June while their NL East lead has dwindled from nine games to two, that third base is an ongoing problem given Austin Riley’s decline and huge contract, and that even a healthy Yastrzemski-Acuña pairing at the corners would be no guarantee of their typical level of production (if the oft-injured Acuña even has a typical level), the team probably shouldn’t stand pat here. A pending free agent such as Taylor Ward would be a big help if he’s available.

Cardinals*

With Lars Nootbaar recovering from offseason surgery to shave down bones in both heels, the Cardinals opened the year with rookie Nathan Church as the regular left fielder — supplemented by utilitymen Thomas Saggese and José Fermín — and Victor Scott II in center. Church’s production was a bit light for the position, but less of a problem than that of Scott, who like so many speedsters before him, proved unable to steal first base. He hit just .194/.276/.258 (55 wRC+) before being optioned to Triple-A Memphis on June 8, three days after Nootbar returned to the lineup. Nootbar has hit a respectable .260/.355/.423 (117 wRC+) since returning, generally pairing with righty Nelson Velázquez in a platoon. While Velázquez hasn’t done much in his 35 plate appearances as a left fielder, netting -0.4 WAR between offense and defense, he’s hit .246/.323/.509 (127 wRC+) with four homers in 65 plate appearances overall.

Meanwhile, Church has hit just .236/.280/.384 (83 wRC+) overall. While the Cardinals can spot Nootbaar in center once in awhile, he can’t play two positions at once. The team has multiple holes to fill — their third basemen made the Killers list too — but with their current center field options projected to produce less WAR over the remainder of the season than any other team, an upgrade there has to be a priority.

Orioles

The switch-hitting Leody Taveras has started 54 games in center field for the Orioles and 14 in right, hitting a modest .237/.314/.364 (93 wRC+) with subpar defense (-3 DRS, -3 FRV). For his part, the lefty-swinging Colton Cowser has made 33 starts in center, 18 in right, and five in left; all but three of them have been against righties. He’s been slightly less effective at the plate than Taveras, hitting .214/.304/.348 (87 wRC+) with a 30.7% strikeout rate, but he’s compiled 7 DRS and 6 FRV overall, including 4 DRS and 2 FRV in 281.1 innings in center. As a platoon, it hasn’t worked, because neither player has hit southpaws.

If the Orioles (46-51) were to seek an upgrade, it might be an issue that so many of the center fielders mentioned as trade candidates — JJ Bleday, Jarren Duran, Jung Hoo Lee, Jake McCarthy — are lefty swingers, but there’s nothing that says the Orioles have to maintain the same platoon, or any kind of platoon, if they do make a move. As noted with my previous mention of Ward, it’s also possible Baltimore will be a seller rather than a buyer, particularly if the next couple weeks don’t go well.

Astros

The Astros began the season with Jake Meyers in center, but a Grade 2 oblique strain knocked him out of action for about six weeks in April and May, and he struggled mightily in his return, hitting just .217/.277/.333 (71 wRC+) before being optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on July 4. During his absences, the center field job has been shared between 24-year-old rookie Brice Matthews, a 2023 first-round pick, and 28-year-old veteran Taylor Trammell. Matthews, a 40+-FV prospect with great speed and big raw power but significant contact issues, has hit just .197/.250/.332 (61 wRC+) while striking out in 31.4% of his plate appearances. He left Sunday’s game after banging his left knee on the outfield wall while trying to make a catch; a decision on whether he’ll need to go on the IL is pending. Trammell has hit .230/.293/.372 (86 wC+) with a 33.9% strikeout rate while splitting his time between center and left.

In other words, none of this has worked well. Meyers is now 30 years old and in his sixth season, and is also the owner of an 89 wRC+, which is to say that even if he straightens out at Triple-A, he’ll likely remain a drag on Houston’s offense. Matthews, a converted middle infielder, has enough athleticism to make him a worthwhile longer-term project, but he might not provide enough help for this year’s playoff push. While the Astros have to bear the ups and downs of Jose Altuve at second base, center field provides an opportunity to upgrade that they shouldn’t pass up.

Tigers

After being limited to 58 games and a 75 wRC+ last year due to a nerve issue in his right arm and a right hamstring strain, Parker Meadows didn’t even make it out of April unscathed. On April 9, he and left fielder Riley Greene collided in pursuit of a fly ball, with Meadows suffering a concussion, a laceration on the right side of his mouth that required five stitches, and a fractured radius bone in his left arm that required surgery and landed him on the 60-day injured list. In late June, manager A.J. Hinch said of the fracture, “The bone shattered. It’s not like healing a simple break. It’s been slow, and there’s not much we can do until he gets through all of his rehab.” At last report, Meadows had yet to resume hitting and had no timeline for return.

In his absence, the injury bug has continued chewing through the Tigers’ depth chart, with both Javier Báez and Wenceel Pérez landing on the 60-day IL as well. Báez, who had been splitting time between shortstop and center field after Meadows went down, sustained a right high ankle sprain on April 28, then suffered a setback in early June. He doesn’t have a timeline for return, and neither does Pérez, who had been playing more right field than center. He suffered a fractured left orbital bone on June 16 when a resistance band struck him in the face during a workout, requiring surgery.

All of that has left Matt Vierling as the team’s primary center fielder, but he hasn’t been up to the task, hitting .206/.261/.336 (63 wC+), including in his time at the other two outfield positions. Lately it’s been James Outman, who has never come close to replicating his 2023 rookie season with the Dodgers, covering center. Between similarly unproductive stints with the Twins and Tigers, he’s hit a combined .152/.221/.288 (39 wRC+). With the team currently eight games below .500 (44-52) and sitting on the game’s biggest potential trade chip in Tarik Skubal, it probably makes sense to sell, but the Tigers haven’t ruled out keeping Skubal, particularly if they can improve their standing over the next couple of weeks. Even a modest addition here would improve their chances.