At last we reach the end of my annual series spotlighting the weakest positions on contending clubs. While still focusing upon teams that meet that loose definition of contenders (Playoff Odds of at least 10% when this series began), 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 it here because the team’s performance is worth a look.
At the other positions in this series, I have used 0.6 WAR or less thus far — which prorates to 1.0 WAR over a full season — as my cutoff, but for the designated hitters, I’ve limited the list to the teams below zero, both to keep the length manageable and to account for the general spread of value. In the fifth full season of the universal DH, 0.2 WAR represents the current median, with 11 teams below zero, 12 between zero and 1.0, and just seven with 1.0 or more, with only five reaching 2.0. DHs as a group have hit .244/.325/.422 for a 106 wRC+ this season, down four points from last year’s final mark, the highest since the adoption of the universal DH.
It does appear that an increasing number of teams are investing more playing time in a single DH. From 2022 (the first full-length season with the universal DH) to ’25, the number of players reaching 450 plate appearances in the DH role increased from three to four to seven to nine; this year, they’re on pace for nine, as well. That said, all but one of the teams on this list are the ones that haven’t found that special someone to take the lion’s share of the plate appearances.
2026 Replacement-Level Killers: Designated Hitter
| Team | AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Bat | BsR | WAR | ROS WAR | Tot WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | .212 | .285 | .319 | 71 | -13.3 | -0.4 | -1.5 | 0.5 | -1.0 |
| Diamondbacks | .229 | .305 | .326 | 76 | -11.6 | -0.5 | -1.2 | 0.0 | -1.2 |
| Blue Jays | .212 | .280 | .347 | 77 | -12.1 | -1.4 | -1.0 | 0.5 | -0.5 |
| Padres | .236 | .297 | .365 | 86 | -6.8 | -0.9 | -0.7 | 0.2 | -0.5 |
| Pirates | .229 | .301 | .378 | 85 | -8.0 | -0.5 | -0.5 | 0.4 | -0.1 |
| Guardians | .201 | .295 | .353 | 84 | -8.0 | -0.4 | -0.5 | 0.4 | -0.1 |
| Red Sox | .238 | .311 | .369 | 87 | -6.2 | -0.8 | -0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Marlins | .237 | .300 | .412 | 94 | -3.1 | -1.0 | -0.2 | 0.1 | -0.1 |
| Cubs | .249 | .329 | .409 | 105 | 2.4 | -0.4 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
All statistics through July 19.
Tigers
Colt Keith can’t seem to get the hang of this DH business. In 308 plate appearances in that capacity since reaching the majors in 2024, he’s produced just a 67 wRC+, compared to a 110 wRC+ in 996 plate appearances at other positions. He’s not a great defender, but the Tigers wisely gave up on shoehorning him into second base. His metrics have been within a run of average in limited duty at the infield corners this year, and he’s hit for a 101 wRC+ while playing the field, compared to a 69 wRC+ in a team-high 92 plate appearances while DHing; overall, he’s hit .254/.300/.396 (93 wRC+). None of the other players whom manager A.J. Hinch has used in more than eight games at DH — namely Dillon Dingler, Kerry Carpenter, or Jahmai Jones — has produced higher than a 90 wC+ in that capacity, with the worst of those three (Jones, with a -5 wRC+ in 62 plate appearances) traded to the Red Sox last week for a player to be named later.
The Tigers additionally made the Killers lists at first base, center field and right field. Given first baseman Spencer Torkelson’s additional defensive woes, there’s an argument to be made that the Tigers should park him at DH and play Keith at first; Torkelson’s 102 wRC+ would be a substantial upgrade on this lot. Notably, Torkelson has not taken a plate appearance as a DH this season, but last year, he had a 190 wRC+ across his 43 plate appearances in that role. For his career, he’s put up a 163 wRC+ in 75 plate appearances as a DH. The Tigers also have former first-round pick Jace Jung, a third baseman, stashed at Triple-A; he’s 25 and not getting any younger. As the Tigers (46-53) try to figure out whether to retain Tarik Skubal and compete for a playoff spot, or trade him and reset for next year, a deeper look at those in-house options would be a good first step. If they do sell, Torkelson might be a low-cost option for some other team here.
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Diamondbacks
After he raked at a 147 wRC+ clip in 87 plate appearances in late 2024, Adrian Del Castillo placed 30th on our preseason Top 100 Prospects list in ’25 as a 50-FV catcher, with Eric Longenhagen describing him as “a lefty-hitting Ryan Jeffers” capable of providing enough offense to offset concerns about his defense and to justify additional playing time at DH. Yet Castillo hit for just an 87 wRC+ in 131 plate appearances last year, and struggled to an even greater degree through the first two months of this season while serving as a third catcher and platoon DH against righties. Instead of getting sent to Triple-A Reno to regroup, he took just 33 plate appearances in June and early July before finally being optioned, then returned 12 days later. Overall, he’s hit just .195/.256/.325 (59 wRC+), including a 62 wRC+ in 98 plate appearances at DH. For as bad as that is, only two of the five other Diamondbacks with more than 16 plate appearances at DH have topped that wRC+, namely lineup regulars Gabriel Moreno and Ketel Marte. Of the other three, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who contributed to the team’s making my left fielders list, just landed on the injured list due to an adductor strain, while Jose Fernandez and Pavin Smith are both at Reno. Fernandez hit just .255/.289/.352 (75 wRC+) in a utility role, while Smith was outrighted off the 40-man roster after hitting an anemic .141/.236/.192 (23 wRC+).
This is a team that could use a real DH. The Reds’ JJ Bleday, the Rockies’ Mickey Moniak, and the Orioles’ Taylor Ward — if Baltimore is selling — are among those who could help while additionally contributing in left field. The Giants’ Luis Arraez has played his way back to respectability as a second baseman, but with Marte a staple at the keystone, Arraez could contribute at DH or first base — another position of need for Arizona, who also landed on my Killers list there.
Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are the only team on this list with a DH on pace to total at least 450 plate appearances at the spot, namely George Springer, who has started 65 of the team’s 99 games in that capacity. After clubbing 32 homers and setting a career high with a 166 wRC+ (.309/.399/.560) in his age-35 season last year, Springer has slipped to a 93 wRC+ (.219/.302/.381), and once again, he’s been banged up. On April 12, he suffered a fracture after fouling a ball off his left big toe, costing him 15 games, and shortly after returning, he was hit in the left foot by a pitch, costing him a couple more. He had gotten off to a slow start, but he does appear to be trending upward, hitting for a 106 wRC+ since the start of June. Even so, his average exit velocity of 88.5 mph is down 1.4 mph from last year, and his 7.7% barrel rate is slightly less than half of last year’s mark. His xSLG has plummeted from .571 to .376 overall — and .366 amid the aforementioned rebound.
Neither Vladimir Guerrero Jr. nor Eloy Jiménez has done well in a combined 21 starts at DH out of 34 non-Springer ones. Guerrero — who landed on the first base list in this series — is hitting for a microscopic 22 wRC+ in 51 plate appearances as a DH, while Jiménez is running an 82 wRC+ in 32 plate appearances in that capacity. Interestingly enough, while Springer hasn’t played right field at all this season, on Friday he played left field for the first time this year, with catcher Brandon Valenzuela DHing for the first time (and homering) while Alejandro Kirk caught. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see either of those two backstops picking up extra playing time in this spot when they’re not behind the plate.
Padres
While the Padres’ 49-50 record is hardly the worst here, their Playoff Odds have slipped to 9.5%, but I’ve included them anyway because they were above my 10% threshold when this series began. After years of dealing with injuries and address changes, Miguel Andujar had a nice bounceback season in 2025, hitting .318/.352/.470 (125 wRC+) with 10 homers and 1.1 WAR for the A’s and Reds. He was well above his .259 xBA and .383 xSLG — in fact, he had the majors’ largest overperformance in each category — but it was nonetheless his first time reaching double digits in homers since his 2018 rookie season with the Yankees. Sure enough, he’s regressed this season, hitting .259/.303/.423 (100 wRC+) overall, with an 89 wRC+ against lefties and 105 against righties. He has a career 116 wRC+ against lefties, and he was above 100 this season just a few days ago. The Padres have been rotating lefty Gavin Sheets and righties Manny Machado and Nick Castellanos (who’s since been released) through the DH spot at Andujar’s expense — and they’ve been terrible. Each member of that trio has a 44 wRC+ or lower in 28 to 55 plate appearances, combined they netted -1.0 WAR in 110 plate appearances in this spot.
At this point, resting Machado (who’s hitting just .198/.290/.407 for a 92 wRC+) when he needs a breather is probably advisable. Simply leaving well enough alone with Andujar in the DH slot might be more effective than the alternatives, though with the Padres ranking dead last in the majors in scoring at 3.94 runs per game prior to Sunday’s 19-run outburst (which raised their average to 4.09), I’d expect A.J. Preller to do something at the trade deadline in order to give the offense a boost.
Guardians
Kyle Manzardo made a team-high 68 starts at DH last year plus an additional 53 at first base, but this year he’s been used more in the field; he ranks fourth on the team with 14 starts at DH, behind Chase DeLauter (32), Rhys Hoskins (22), and José Ramírez (17), with David Fry (11) also in double digits. Manzardo and Hoskins are both struggling enough that they also popped up on the first base list in this series. Hoskins is the only one of the aforementioned bunch who has hit for a wRC+ above 88 while DHing; he’s produced a 127 wRC+ in 92 plate appearances in that capacity, but is batting just .177/.312/.359 (93 wRC+) overall, with a career-high 32% strikeout rate to boot. DeLauter has hit for just an 89 wRC+ in 145 plate appearances as a DH, but is hitting a respectable .277/.343/.443 (123 wRC+) overall. Manzardo (29 wRC+ in 62 PA) and Fry (53 wRC+ in 38 PA) have been terrible at DH in smaller samples, and Ramírez (89 wRC+ in 70 PA) has been subpar; he’s currently on the IL due to a fractured left hamate bone and could be back later this week to prop up an offense that ranks last in the majors in scoring (3.92 runs per game) and is tied for last in the AL in wRC+ (92).
The Guardians desperately need an infusion of offense. The Reds’ Bleday could also help boost their Killers-level left field production, as could Moniak or Ward. Cincinnati’s Nathaniel Lowe and Spencer Steer could fit into the DH/first base picture. Given Cleveland’s 87 wRC+ against lefties, a righty — Steer and Ward from that group, though there are obviously others — might be preferable, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Red Sox
The glut of quality Red Sox outfielders figured to spill over into the DH column, and while the loss of Roman Anthony — who has been out since May 4 due to a torn ligament in his right ring finger and a torn tendon in his right wrist — has compromised their depth, it has given Masataka Yoshida a clear lane to start at DH against righties. Yoshida has hit for a light 92 wRC+ in 170 plate appearances as a DH, though including his seven games in the outfield, he’s batting a more respectable .267/.343/.401 (107 wRC+) overall. Anthony (65 wRC+ in 59 PA) and Jarren Duran (92 wRC+ in 33 PA) haven’t done much in limited duty out of the DH spot, with the latter hitting an anemic .190/.254/.340 (59 wRC+) overall, demolishing his trade value. Against lefties, the Red Sox have started infielders Andruw Monasterio eight times and Romy Gonzalez four times, with Monasterio’s 113 wRC+ in 34 plate appearances representing the team’s only wRC+ above 100 for a DH with more than 11 times up.
With Anthony not even swinging a bat yet, the resurgent Red Sox could at the very least use a righty complement to Yoshida. Jeffers could provide an upgrade here and at catcher, given that the Carlos Narváez/Connor Wong/Mickey Gasper trio landed on the Killers list, with Gapser additionally “contributing” a 55 wRC+ in 54 plate appearances as a DH. With the team having made the Killers list at second base, Arraez would be another good fit.
Pirates
Marcell Ozuna’s wRC+ dropped from 154 in 2024 to 114 last season, but the Pirates signed him to a one-year, $12 million deal as a free agent this past winter nonetheless. They appear to have caught a falling knife, as the 35-year-old Ozuna’s performance has collapsed. He’s hitting just .206/.287/.333 (71 wRC+) with a strikeout rate that has spiked from 24.3% to a career-high 30.7%; meanwhile, his walk rate has plunged from a career-high 15.9% to a more representative 9.4%. He’s been utterly hopeless both against breaking balls (.103 AVG/.207 SLG, 44.2% whiff rate) and offspeed pitches (.143 AVG/.143 SLG, 50.8% whiff rate).
While Ozuna hasn’t lost his job completely, manager Don Kelly has cut him back to about two starts a week against righties since late May, with switch-hitter Bryan Reynolds and lefty Ryan O’Hearn each in the mix, as well. Both have been productive, in that capacity and overall, with Reynolds hitting for a 140 wRC+ on the season and O’Hearn, a 121 wRC+. When Ozuna has sat out those games, 26-year-old rookie Tyler Callihan has filled in at either first base or left field, and has hit .244/.326/.449 (110 wRC+) overall. The arrangement has also worked out well for Ozuna, who is still starting against lefties; he’s hit .268/.339/.428 (112 wRC+) in 62 plate appearances since the start of June. That might be enough to keep him around, as the last thing the tight-fisted Pirates are likely to do is pay somebody not to play, but as they have a real shot at a playoff spot (48.2% odds at this writing), they may be more aggressive about finding an upgrade.
Marlins
Former Rule 5 pick Liam Hicks is in the midst of a breakout season, hitting .286/.360/.448 (121 wRC+) with 13 homers and a microscopic 9% strikeout rate — third lowest among qualifiers — while making 30 starts at catcher, 29 at DH, and 18 at first base. He’s put up a 113 wRC+ in 128 plate appearances at DH, mainly against righties. He’s managed just a 60 wRC+ against lefties, however, and he can’t fill multiple spots at once, so the team has used 13 other players at DH. Fellow catcher Agustín Ramírez (68 wRC+ in 55 PA) and corner infielder Connor Norby (50 wRC+ in 48 PA) have gotten the most work out of that bunch but haven’t acquitted themselves well, while Kyle Stowers, Leo Jiménez, and Owen Caissie each have a wRC+ of 100 or better in lesser time, though Jiménez’s hold on a roster spot is tenuous given his 78 wRC+ overall.
Cubs
Catching prospect Moisés Ballesteros spent most of 2024 and ’25 raking at Triple-A Iowa, and hit a tantalizing .298/.394/.474 (143 wRC+) in 20 games spread over three stints in the majors last year. Even with his receiving rather shaky, the 22-year-old Ballesteros placed 84th on our preseason Top 100 Prospects list as a 50-FV prospect, and opened the season as the Cubs’ third catcher and regular DH, hitting an ungodly .338/.392/.620 with five homers and a 175 wRC+ in April. He couldn’t maintain that clip, however, and as pitchers adjusted, he chased with increasing frequency, and fell into a deep slump. From May 1 onward, he hit .141/.229/.188 (22 WRC+) with just one homer and a 25% strikeout rate in 96 plate appearances before being optioned to Iowa on June 18. Overall, he’s hit .231/.303/.385 (91 wRC+) with a 35% chase rate and a 46.7% groundball rate — no good for a 5-foot-8, 240-pound catcher with third-percentile sprint speed.
In addition to getting Ballesteros regular playing time behind the plate while he irons out his swing and approach, sending him down allowed the Cubs to DH Seiya Suzuki while he was recovering from a knee issue and get Matt Shaw time in right field — but Shaw landed on the IL with a right hand sprain in late June. Suzuki is now back in right while the Cubs cycle Carson Kelly, Kevin Alcántara, and Michael Conforto through the DH spot. After a dreadful season with the Dodgers, Conforto has rebounded to hit .241/.327/.476 (119 wRC+), though he’s produced just a 90 wRC+ in 56 plate appearances as a DH. Still, he offers hope of above-average production from the spot, at least until Ballesteros gets back on track.