Rays Unfairly Drop Too Far in MLB Power Rankings

May 31, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays short stop Taylor Walls (6) drops the ball during the eighth inning against Los Angeles Angels at Tropicana Field. Pablo Robles-Imagn Images

Rays Unfairly Drop Too Far in MLB Power Rankings

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Jun 1, 2026 1:00 PM ET

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The Tampa Bay Rays have been playing some great baseball this year, but had a rare slip-up this week. However, despite a losing week, the team still holds the best record in the American League.

It has been a shockingly good start to the campaign for the Rays. This was a team that didn’t appear to have a super high ceiling, but they have blown past expectations. The pitching staff for the team has been a main reason why, and this group has three All-Star-caliber arms in the rotation.

The return of Shane McClanahan has been really impressive. Coming off missing two years because of injury, the southpaw has been amazing of late, and his health has been a major game-changer for the team. Furthermore, the lineup has been good enough so far, but that figures to be an area in which they will seek some help.

While the team has been really good with the best record in the league, they did have a tough week. Unfortunately, that has knocked them down quite a bit in terms of how they are perceived.

Will Leitch of MLB recently released his MLB Power Rankings for the week, and the Rays saw themselves take a significant drop following a tough week. Tampa Bay fell from number two to fifth.

Significant Drop Feels Excessive

Pablo Robles-Imagn Images

While a (2-4) week, including being swept by the Baltimore Orioles, is not ideal, the Rays did win their weekend series over the Los Angeles Angels at home. Despite the bad week, this is a team that is still in first place in the AL East over the New York Yankees, and the Yankees jumping them once again seems a bit unfair.

With a 1.5-game lead over New York and a winning record against them head-to-head, the Rays being below them in the rankings doesn’t seem right. However, the likely reason for the ranking is that the Yankees have been considered to be one of the best teams in the league before the season started, and of the expected contenders in the American League, they are one of the few performing well.

This week, the schedule will remain favorable for Tampa Bay. On Monday, they will be starting a three-game series at home against the Detroit Tigers, and then they will be on the road against the Miami Marlins. With neither team being great, the Rays will have some good opportunities to pick up some more wins.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Rays on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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