Alec Bohm and 4 more contending sluggers chasing ghosts this September

It's September, which means the MLB Postseason is right around the corner. As teams gear up for the stretch run, expanding their rosters and leaving no stones unturned, there are plenty of stars in a prolonged period of slumber. It's impossible to go 162 games without a fallow period, but it's hard to pick a worse time to go ice-cold than right now. The playoffs are all about forward momentum, which means a slumping star can signal the beginning of the end for your favorite team.

In this article, we will focus on contending stars with something left to play for. Stars whose ongoing struggles could sink their respective offenses come October. There's still time for these guys to turn it around, but the clock is tick, tick, ticking away.

Let's start in the City of Brotherly Love, with a former All-Star whose annual autumnal cold snaps are becoming the defining aspect of his legacy.

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3B Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies

Alec Bohm returned from injury in mid-August and wasn't unplayable. In fact, he was marginally better than his has been on the whole in 2025. But it's hard for the Philadelphia Phillies to feel good about things given Bohm's past struggles at this time of year — not to mention at various points throughout 2025. He infamously hit .270 with a .688 OPS last September, which dropped his season-long OPS over 30 points and led into a disastrous October.

While this Phillies team is still positioned for a potentially deep run this fall, the lineup's hit-or-miss tendencies could prove fatal. Nick Castellanos has been swinging at air for months, while Bohm's tendency to chase outside the zone and tank at-bats with his erratic swing decisions put him in volatile territory, too.

Most Phillies fans were ready to move on from Bohm last offseason. He was an All-Star in 2024, but he collapsed down the stretch and wound up getting benched in October. The stage is set for another disappointing end note in 2025. Bohm isn't hitting for much power and, while the average is (relatively) solid, he doesn't work deep into counts. Bohm's capacity for ripping doubles into the gap and heating up at a moment's notice keeps him relevant, but he is almost never truly consistent. He will go through periods where the strikeout count skyrockets as he falls into old habits of swinging at anything within a square mile of the box.

Philadelphia needs more out of Bohm this month and heading into October. If he starts to wilt under the lights, if his plate discipline mysteriously vanishes once again, the Phillies will need to consider their alternatives.

3B Eugenio Suárez, Seattle Mariners

Eugenio Suárez was probably the flashiest name dealt at the trade deadline. The 34-year-old appeared to reinvent his swing and rocket into the upper echelon of MLB sluggers, swatting 36 home runs in 106 games with the Diamondbacks, boasting an .897 OPS. It was an incredible display in the final year of his contract, putting Suárez on the path to a huge offseason payday.

Then his former team, the Seattle Mariners, acquired him for the stretch run. He has a .696 OPS and six home runs in 29 games since the trade, which is not what the Mariners were anticipating. Suárez was supposed to anchor the lineup next to Cal Raleigh; instead he looks more like a boom or bust wild card with the postseason on the horizon.

This past month has been a real challenge for Suárez. He's striking out a ton and struggling to get on base. The power is still there — he's a walking home run threat — but all the production on the margins has left his game since arriving in Seattle. Maybe this is just bad luck, a predictable cold spell as he adjusts to his new surroundings. But it's hard not to feel a little bit queasy with October so close around the corner.

Suárez can still turn it around, but given a career-long trend of inconsistency, it feels like maybe his 106-game stretch in Arizona was fools gold. This is closer to what we've seen from Suárez in recent years. He's not a bat-to-ball savant. He's not going to work counts and force pitchers to get creative. Instead, Suárez hacks for the fences every time and accepts the result that comes his way. The M's probably wish for a refund, but that's not how MLB works, so Suárez and Seattle are working against the clock instead.

OF Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs moved heaven and earth to trade for Kyle Tucker last offseason, the rare all-in move from a notoriously laissez-faire GM in Jed Hoyer. That immediately cranked up the pressure on Chicago, as this is the final year of Tucker's contract and the former World Series champ is due for a $400 million-plus contract in free agency.

But now it's September and Tucker is slowly working through a prolonged slump. He began to turn things around slightly toward the end of August, but Tucker was recently put on the bench for a few days for a mental reset. That's how bad it got after the All-Star break. Tucker's career has not transpired without its share of bumps in the road, but he is overwhelmingly one of the best outfield bats of this generation. So the sudden, potentially injury-related downturn puts Chicago in a tough position.

This Cubs team is extremely talented, with the right blend of high-level defense, excellent base-running and suitable offensive pop to press deep into October. Craig Counsell is one of MLB's best managers and Hoyer, to his credit, has done just enough to position the Cubs as at least a Wild Card threat, unlike last season.

Tucker was brought in to provide MVP-level slugging in the heart of the lineup, however. If he can't turn things around substantially in time for October, the Cubs just aren't going to stick around long. Tucker has ample postseason experience from his Astros days, so the lights shouldn't be too bright. Something around Wrigley doesn't agree with him right now, though, so the alarm bells are sounding.

SS Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Mookie Betts has been chasing ghosts all season, to be frank. August was actually a meaningful step in the right direction, but his production is still a far cry from what we've come to expect. Betts is one of the most decorated players in MLB and it's hard to express genuine concern about the Los Angeles Dodgers' postseason outlook, but Betts' regression does leave an unexpected hole in the middle of the lineup.

Dave Roberts has been extremely patient with Betts, which is the only course of action. The Dodgers aren't going to bench the three-time World Series champ who was so important to their postseason run a year ago. But, by continuing to bat Betts second in the lineup, L.A. is banking valuable at-bats on its former MVP. Right now, it's fair to wonder if he can actually deliver once October rolls around.

Betts has earned the benefit of the doubt. He's historically a postseason riser who delivers clutch at-bats and sharp defense in equal measure. He has done everything in his power to help the Dodgers reach their ceiling, whether it's changing his position in the field or his spot in the lineup. If it gets to the point where L.A. considers pushing Betts back a few spots on the scorecard, he will accept the change gracefully.

His .699 OPS this season is by far the worst of Betts' career (.803 was his previous low). The sudden hole in his swing has been difficult to wrap one's head around, but Betts is 32 and he has been competing at the highest level for a long time. Father Time catches up to everyone at different points. There's a chance the Dodgers need to plan on further regression from Betts, rather than viewing this season strictly as an outlier. As always, so much will depend on how October shakes out.

3B Manny Machado, San Diego Padres

So what's up with Manny Machado? He began the month of August with a .302 batting average, enjoying yet another phenomenal season at the plate. He's going to end the campaign with rock-solid numbers, and the San Diego Padres are arguably Los Angeles' greatest challenger in the National League. But the past month and change has raised more than a few eyebrows when it comes to Machado's production.

The 14-year MLB vet has not missed a game yet this season. He is the poster child for durability, with 500-plus at-bats in 11 seasons to date. He's on the field (almost) every day and in the heart of the lineup without fail. That trait alone is extremely valuable, but Machado is also 33 years old. He has a lot of miles on the odometer, which raises natural concerns about imminent decline.

For all his accolades and years of success, this is also a trend for Machado. He has 48 postseason games and 206 at-bats under his belt. His numbers across more than a decade of October baseball? A .215 average and .684 OPS. Too often, his production hits a giant brick wall in the fall months. It's hard to find a tangible reason for why this happens, other than perhaps exhaustion.

San Diego has a ton of firepower in its lineup, so this team can push deep into the postseason with Machado in peak form. But when the Dodgers, Phillies and Mets are your primary opponents, it sure would help to have everyone in tip-top shape. Machado needs to spend the next couple months relocating his swing and undoing a decades-long narrative.