8 rebound candidates off to promising starts

While every player aims to start the season on the right foot, those coming off disappointing campaigns face an extra layer of urgency early on.

The high-profile names below have been able to turn the page in a hurry, offering hope that last year’s underwhelming results were merely a blip, rather than the new normal.

Here are eight rebound candidates off to encouraging starts in 2025.

All stats below are through Tuesday.

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals
Arenado wasn’t supposed to be here. With an eye on the future, the Cardinals spent the entire offseason trying to trade him. However, a number of factors -- including Arenado’s full no-trade clause -- complicated those efforts, and by the time Spring Training rolled around, the veteran third baseman was still in a St. Louis uniform. To his credit, Arenado hasn’t let the awkward situation impact his play. Although his bat has cooled off over the past week or so, he still owns a 126 OPS+ on the season -- a jump from last year’s mark of 102 -- fueled by increases in both his extra-base-hit and walk rates, as well as a drop in strikeouts. Add in his stellar defense and Arenado has produced 0.9 WAR (per FanGraphs), the fourth most at his position.

Chris Bassitt, SP, Blue Jays
Bassitt had his first hiccup of the season on Tuesday against the Astros, but he still owns a sparkling 1.88 ERA over 28 2/3 innings through five outings this year -- an encouraging start after his downturn in 2024 (98 ERA+). Perhaps even more surprising is how he has done it, with a 28.6% strikeout rate and a 5.0% walk rate, both of which would be career bests. It’s a change of pace for a pitcher who, even at his best, has been known more as a solid mid-rotation arm than an ace.

Adolis García, OF, Rangers
García followed up a career year in 2023 -- capped by a record-setting postseason performance that helped the Rangers win their first World Series title -- with a noticeable step backward in ’24. The outfielder finished with 25 homers, a .684 OPS and -0.2 WAR (per FanGraphs), down from 39 homers, an .836 OPS and 4.6 WAR the previous year. However, García appears to be back on track in 2025, even if his .228/.295/.456 slash doesn’t fully reflect it. All of his notable power indicators have spiked, from his hard-hit and barrel rates to his pulled airball rate, with a reduced strikeout rate to boot. It may only be a matter of time before García erupts.

Kevin Gausman, SP, Blue Jays
Gausman remained a serviceable starter in 2024, but much like his teammate Bassitt, his performance left a lot to be desired. Gausman ended up with a 106 ERA+ over 181 innings on the year, as his K-rate dropped by nearly 10 percentage points from the previous season (31.1% to 21.4%). His 4.71 expected ERA painted his campaign in an even more unflattering light, raising concerns about the possibility of further decline entering his age-34 season. So far, though, Gausman has put those questions on hold. The righty has recorded a 3.16 ERA and a 3.48 xERA through five starts in 2025, and his strikeout rate has even started to tick back up over his past three outings (29.3%). While it remains to be seen if Gausman can fully recapture the ace form he showed from 2021-23, he at least appears to be moving in the right direction.

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Yankees
After winning the National League MVP Award with the Cardinals in 2022, Goldschmidt saw his production dip in ’23 before taking a sharper downturn last season, raising questions about how much he had left in the tank as he reached free agency for the first time in his career. The 37-year-old ultimately found a new home with the Yankees on a one-year, $12.5 million deal, with New York hoping to shore up a position that had been a major weak spot in 2024. To this point, the signing has done just that -- Goldschmidt has been a hit machine, spraying line drives all over the field. Although his approach hasn’t produced many extra-base hits, Goldschmidt had a .371/.424/.461 slash over his first 24 games.

Jorge Polanco, INF, Mariners
After a lackluster showing in 2024 (93 OPS+), Polanco hasn’t just gotten off to a strong start in ’25 -- he quite literally looks like a different hitter, having overhauled his batting stance to a more closed-off setup. Judging by the results, it’s safe to say he’s feeling more comfortable at the plate. With his hard-hit rate (+12.6 points) and barrel rate (+5.1 points) both up and his strikeout rate down a whopping 16 points, Polanco has slashed .339/.356/.589 (183 OPS+) this season. He also has MLB’s second-best expected batting average at .354 -- up from .226 in 2024 -- underscoring the significant strides he has made in the contact department.

Adley Rutschman, C, Orioles
Given the way Rutschman closed out 2024 -- with a .189 average, four homers and a .559 OPS in his final 71 games -- his early results this year might be stirring some familiar unease among Orioles fans. However, there are some encouraging signs lurking below the surface, particularly when it comes to the power stroke that went missing far too often in the second half of 2024. Rutschman’s barrel rate has doubled year over year, jumping from 6.1% to 12.3% -- a key sign that his power is trending in a positive direction. That’s helped to fuel a .518 expected slugging percentage, well above both his 2024 xSLG (by 125 points) and his actual mark so far this season (by 143 points).

George Springer, OF, Blue Jays
The 2024 season continued a troubling trend for Springer, who slashed .220/.303/.371 with a 91 OPS+ -- all career worsts. It marked the third straight year all of those figures dropped for the veteran outfielder. The 2025 campaign has been a different story, however, with Springer posting a .333 average, a .946 OPS and a 174 OPS+ over his first 22 games. Many of his key underlying metrics have improved dramatically as well. In fact, he ranks among this year’s biggest risers in hard-hit rate (+15.8 points), barrel rate (+7.7 points) and sweet-spot rate (+13.4 points).