MLB Power Rankings: Red Sox Crack Top 12, Cubs Back In Top 5, Twins & Royals Tumble

Since the calendar has flipped to June, the conversation around baseball’s best teams is beginning to change. Early-season surprises have either established themselves as legitimate contenders or started to drift back toward the pack. The standings provide a useful snapshot, but they do not always answer the bigger questions. 

The Braves became the first team to reach 40 wins, but does that automatically make them the sport’s top club? The Yankees welcomed Gerrit Cole back to strengthen an already talented rotation, but can that group remain healthy enough to sustain its success over the next four months?

Those questions are why third-order wins remain a valuable tool when evaluating the league. Based on Clay Davenport’s adjusted standings, the metric looks beyond a team’s record by incorporating run differential, strength of schedule, and ballpark effects. Rather than focusing solely on what has happened, it attempts to identify which clubs are playing the best baseball and which may be benefiting from favorable circumstances.

The result is a ranking system designed to separate sustainable performance from short-term results. Some teams continue to justify their place near the top thanks to dominant underlying metrics, while others are outperforming what their profile suggests. As the season moves deeper into June and the playoff picture slowly begins to take shape, the arrows below show which teams are rising, falling, or holding steady in this week’s rankings.

1. Dodgers — 40.7–17.2 (.703)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: On Thursday, Shohei Ohtani continued to do Shohei Ohtani things. He threw six hitless innings and hit a leadoff home run to help the Dodgers beat the Rockies. 

2. Yankees — 38.0–20.0 (.655) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Gerrit Cole has been dominant since his return from Tommy John surgery. On Thursday, he struck out 10 Royal batters without allowing a walk over 6 2/3 innings. Even more impressively, he needed just 79 pitches to record the 20 outs.

3. Braves — 37.2–21.8 (.631) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Chris Sale returned to Fenway Park and his four-seamer averaged 97 mph , his highest average in a game since the start of 2019. In five innings, he fanned eight hitters and allowed just two earned runs on six hits.

4. Brewers — 33.8–21.1 (.616)

Biggest Weekly Storyline: On Monday, Jacob Misiorowski recorded 12 strikeouts he recorded across seven strong innings. He allowed one earned run on two hits and a walk while topping 103 mph multiple times. 

5. Cubs — 33.8–25.2 (.573) ⬆️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Cubs had two 10-game winning streaks this season and added a 10-game losing streak this week. Thankfully for Chicago fans, Ian Happ drove in five runs on Wednesday to stop the skid. 

6. Pirates — 32.8–26.2 (.556) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Among pitchers to debut since 1961, only Spencer Strider (4) and Paul Skenes (3) had more than two single-game streaks of 6+ consecutive strikeouts within their first 67 starts.

7. Rays — 30.4–24.6 (.553) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Yandy Diaz hit two home runs, including back-to-back shots with Jonathan Aranda in a seven-run seventh inning to help the Rays end a four-game losing streak.

8. Rangers — 30.9–27.1 (.533) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Andrew McCutchen was designated for assignment by the Rangers after 37 games. The 39-year-old was batting .192 with a home run and 5 RBI in 73 at-bats.

9. Mariners — 31.2–27.8 (.529) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Julio Rodriguez hit his ninth home run of May, the most he's ever hit in a single month. It had a 16-degree launch angle, a career low, but left the bat at 113.6 mph, the third-hardest homer of his career. 

10. Marlins — 30.5–28.5 (.517) ⬇️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Eury Pérez is expected to miss eight weeks with a bizarre leg injury sustained while he was stretching in the dugout. He exited Wednesday’s start in Toronto because his right hamstring spasmed while he was doing lateral lunges on the bench.

11. Blue Jays — 30.2–28.8 (.512) ⬇️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Toronto placed starting pitcher Dylan Cease on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, but the team is hoping it will be a minimum 15-day stay on the IL. 

12. Red Sox — 28.7–28.3 (.504) ⬆️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: Outfielder Roman Anthony suffered a setback during his rehab process on Thursday and is now reportedly shut down. He felt discomfort while hitting off a tee and has been shut down from swinging.

13. Nationals — 29.7–29.3 (.503) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Nationals have let go of director of community relations Sean Hudson after being featured in a viral clip earlier in the week. Hudson dove into internal discussions regarding a variety of subjects.

14. Diamondbacks — 28.5–28.5 (.500) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Corbin Carroll saw his 13-game hitting streak end on Tuesday. During that streak, he hit over .400 with two homers, four triples, and eight RBIs.

15. White Sox — 28.5–29.5 (.491) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami landed on IL with a hamstring strain. He is tied for the American League lead with 20 home runs.

16. Guardians — 28.7–31.4 (.478) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Parker Messick joined Paul Skenes and Stephen Strasburg as the only three pitchers in MLB history who have an ERA below 2.50, more than 100 strikeouts, and fewer than 30 walks through their first 18 starts.

17. Cardinals — 26.7–29.3 (.477) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Bryan Torres, a 28-year-old outfielder, began his minor-league career in 2015 and finally made his MLB debut. He reached base three times, first with a walk, then with a single, and, in the top of the ninth inning, he delivered a two-run home run.

18. Padres — 26.4–30.6 (.463) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Padres were swept for the first time this season when the Phillies completed a three-game sweep on Wednesday. 

19. Phillies — 26.7–31.3 (.460) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Cristopher Sánchez set the Phillies franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings. His 41 2/3 innings topped the 41-inning streak from Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1911. 

20. Angels — 27.1–31.9 (.459) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Angels won back-to-back series for the first time this season, sweeping Texas at home before winning two of three in Detroit. 

21. Twins — 26.9–32.1 (.456) ⬇️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: In a surprising roster move, the Twins designated Simeon Woods Richardson for assignment. The 25-year-old was out of options and went 0-7 with a 7.74 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP. In 47 2/3 innings, he allowed 41 earned runs.

22. Tigers — 26.9–32.1 (.456) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Tigers placed reliever Kenley Jansen on the 15-day injured list with pelvic inflammation. He left Wednesday’s game after getting two outs in the ninth inning, as it looked like he had trouble landing after each throw.

23. Astros — 27.1–32.9 (.452) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Spencer Arrighetti is the only pitcher in MLB history to enter June with 7+ wins, a sub-1.50 ERA, and fewer than 30 hits allowed since ERA became an official stat in 1913. 

24. Orioles — 26.2–32.8 (.444) ⬆️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Orioles' Colton Cowser hits walk-off homer two days in a row.

25. Athletics — 25.6–32.4 (.441) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Luis Severino left his start on Friday after the first inning with a right arm injury. He is undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury. 

26. Giants — 25.4–32.7 (.437) ⬇️
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Giants reassign third-base coach Hector Borg to an undisclosed player development role after multiple baserunning blunders in recent weeks. 

27. Royals — 24.8–33.2 (.428) ⬇️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Royals are struggling offensively. They are currently 29th in runs scored, 22nd in home runs, 21st in batting average, 28th in OPS, and 25th in hits.

28. Mets — 24.4–33.6 (.421) ⬇️

Biggest Weekly Storyline: MJ Melendez hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to give the Mets a 9-7 victory over the Marlins after squandering a four-run lead Friday night.

29. Reds — 22.9–34.2 (.401)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: The Reds placed reliever Graham Ashcraft on the 60-day IL with a UCL strain. It’s another blow to a bullpen that has seen its fair share of injuries. 

30. Rockies — 21.5–37.5 (.364)
Biggest Weekly Storyline: Ezequiel Tovar capped a five-run ninth with his second homer of the game, Hunter Goodman had a three-run shot in the same inning, as the Rockies completed a comeback against the Giants on Friday.

What storylines stood out this week? Do you agree with the rankings above? Leave a comment and start the discussion.