Julio Rodríguez is doing something he has rarely managed early in a season: forcing a different conversation before summer even arrives. The Mariners center fielder has opened 2026 with the best start of his career, and the power surge behind it is making the rest of the league take notice.
From 2022 through 2025, Rodríguez was known for heating up later. According to www.mlb.com, he posted a .737 OPS before the All-Star break and a .902 OPS after it over that span, with every second-half mark at least 123 points better than his first-half production.
A May surge that changed the picture
What makes this season different is how fast the damage has piled up after a slow opening stretch. Rodríguez needed more than two weeks to record his first extra-base hit of 2026, but since then he has produced 27 extra-base hits, including 13 homers, in his past 53 games.
His May stood out even more. He finished the month with 10 homers, 17 extra-base hits and a .590 slugging percentage, all career highs for a single calendar month in those categories. Among months in which he has logged at least 100 at-bats, only August 2023 produced a better slugging mark.
| Best Calendar-Month SLG | Mark |
|---|---|
| August 2023 | .724 |
| May 2026 | .590 |
| August 2025 | .587 |
| September 2024 | .546 |
| June 2022 | .542 |
That production matters because Rodríguez already has one of the strongest résumés in the sport. He has made three All-Star teams, won two Silver Sluggers, earned MVP votes three times and was the 2022 AL Rookie of the Year.
He also became the first player to record at least 20 homers and 20 steals in each of his first four seasons. Before turning 25, he joined Alex Rodriguez and Mike Trout as the only players with at least 110 homers and 110 steals.
Why this season could be different
Even with all of that, the biggest question around Rodríguez has been whether he could put together a truly elite year without the usual early lag. This season has created that possibility, even if June remains a concern because it has been one of his weakest months over his career with a .699 OPS.
There is also a broader race developing around him. With Aaron Judge expected to miss the All-Star Game because of a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side, Rodríguez has a real chance to push for a starting spot after never advancing past Phase 1 of the voting before.
Judge’s injury has also opened the AL MVP race, and Rodríguez is at least in the mix if he keeps producing. He already has three top-seven MVP finishes, despite having to make up ground in each of those runs.
The Mariners are helping his case
The team context is stronger than it has been around several of Rodríguez’s past MVP pushes. The Mariners recovered from a 22-26 start to take control of first place in the AL West with a 13-6 stretch, and they have done it without Cal Raleigh, who had a .560 OPS before going on the injured list with a right oblique strain.
Rodríguez can still raise his profile further by sharpening his defense, which has been below his usual standard in 2026 at minus-3 Outs Above Average. From 2022 through 2025, he was one of the best defensive center fielders in the game at plus-38 OAA, so the expectation is that he can rebound there too.
For now, the combination of loud power, improved team results and a clearer path in the American League picture has put Rodríguez in a spot he has not often occupied this early. If the pattern holds into the summer, the best season of his career may already be underway.
