While Dodgers stars slump in May, Andy Pages’ breakout 2026 keeps team afloat

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a roster littered with big-name megastars and highly-paid veterans. It is Andy Pages and his one-year, $800,000 million contract that is keeping the back-to-back defending champions afloat, though. The 25-year-old Cuban is far from the first player that comes to mind when MLB fans think of the Dodgers, but his breakout season has been vital in preventing disaster in Los Angeles this season.

While the Dodgers slump, Andy Pages has thrived

The Dodgers roster was built through massive free agent signings, blockbuster trades, and a continuously impressive minor league system. For example, the 10-year, $700 million contract the team gave Shohei Ohtani was the largest deal in professional sports history at the time. He now has four MVP trophies to call his own. The Mookie Betts trade was one of the biggest fleeces in recent memory, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki went straight from being sought-after international prospects to big-time major league contributors with the Dodgers.

Pages wasn’t a well-known commodity when the Dodgers signed him in 2018. He raked his way through the minor leagues, but he wasn’t viewed as one of Los Angeles’ top prospects until just prior to his major league debut. During his 2024 rookie season, Pages displayed an impressive glove, but the bat left plenty to be desired. Last year was a breakout campaign of sorts, and he ended up with his second World Series title in as many tries, but Pages was still far from a household name. The 2026 season, though, has been the time that the center fielder has established himself as a star worthy of inclusion in conversations with his high-profile teammates.

Pages has been one of the best hitters in baseball this year. He ranks in the top 10 in MLB in batting average (.318), hits (49), and RBIs (35). The nine home runs he has added aren’t too shabby, and Pages’ 2.8 bWAR is tied with Aaron Judge for the second-best mark in baseball.

Pages’ hot streak couldn’t have come at a better time. The Dodgers roster as a whole has struggled as of late. Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith aren’t playing up to their typical standards, and Betts was hurt for over a month. Despite the struggles of their stars, Los Angeles is still 24-18 and in a fine position to eventually win the division.

The Dodgers have now lost four games in a row by four or more runs in each defeat. That hasn’t happened since July, 1936, so the team will need more players than just their center fielder to step up. Pages struggled in the postseason last year, but the Dodgers won despite his deficiencies at the plate. Things have changed this year, and Pages is the player who has kept the team afloat. When Los Angeles inevitably gets back on track toward their winning ways, their roster will be even scarier than originally imagined.

The post While Dodgers stars slump in May, Andy Pages’ breakout 2026 keeps team afloat appeared first on ClutchPoints.