The Los Angeles Dodgers are still sitting at No. 1 in baseball, but their first real early-season question has started to take shape around the bullpen.
Before the rankings fully settle into the 2026 season, the Dodgers remain the standard in most power rankings. But the latest round of coverage out of league circles has focused less on their dominance and more on what happens at the back end of games while the roster adjusts to early-season volatility.
At the center of that conversation is Edwin Diaz — whose recent struggles and injury designation have created uncertainty in a role the Dodgers expected to stabilize quickly.
No Panic Around the Dodgers Just Yet
After months of projecting Los Angeles as the league’s most complete and unified roster, the conversation has shifted slightly. The top-line performance is still there for the Dodgers. The lineup continues to produce at multiple spots. The rotation, led by Shohei Ohtani, has held form. But the bullpen has become the first unit under scrutiny.
The early sample is still small, but the timing of Diaz’s elbow issues has changed how opposing executives are evaluating late-game matchups against L.A.
The Dodgers enter Thursday at 16–8, still holding the top spot in most power rankings.
Coming off two-straight losses against the San Francisco Giants — where Los Angeles managed just a handful of hits across consecutive games — the offense has stalled at times, and the late innings exposed some thinner bullpen usage than expected.
Ohtani has remained dominant in his four appearances on the mound this season.
Still, the bullpen situation is where teams are starting to focus.
Edwin Diaz Becomes the Early Concern
The Dodgers added Diaz with the expectation that he would lock down the ninth inning and shorten games in October situations.
Instead, early struggles and Wednesday’s elbow surgery have shifted that expectation.
“After surrendering three runs to the Rangers on April 10, Díaz didn’t pitch for nine days, only to return Sunday in Colorado and give up another three runs without recording an out,” The Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt wrote Tuesday.
”Is he OK?”
Despite the bullpen uncertainty, the Dodgers’ overall profile remains unchanged at the top level.
Max Muncy is off to a strong offensive start, continuing to provide middle-order production that’s boosted the lineup. Andy Pages has also emerged as a notable early-season riser, showing both increased exit velocity and improved contact quality after an uneven previous year.
So yes. The Dodgers could just be working through the kinks of a tiny mid-April rut.
Early-season rankings are built on projection, roster strength and baseline expectation. The Dodgers still lead all three categories. But Diaz’s status introduces the first real uncertainty in a roster that was otherwise considered impenetrable across all phases.
But because one role has moved from reliable to unsettled faster than expected, there’s always going to be questions — even for a team built around a three-peat mantra.
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