Tampa Bay Rays Slide 3 Spots Yet Again in MLB Power Rankings

The Tampa Bay Rays are one game above the .500 mark entering play on Tuesday, July 29. They are 2.5 games out of nabbing one of three American League Wild Card spots, but Tampa Bay needs help.

Recent on-the-field results have not been fruitful for Tampa Bay. As a result, the Rays have slid three spots to the No. 15 spot in the latest MLB Power Rankings from The Athletic. The Rays are tied with the National League's San Francisco Giants at No. 15. Last week, Tampa Bay went from No. 9 to No. 12. This is beginning to become a disturbing trend for Rays fans.

What's been happening with Tampa Bay? Tim Britton of The Athletic pointedly writes that the team needs to focus on one thing: Getting Ha-Seong Kim going as the MLB season rolls into August.

"Just after returning from offseason shoulder surgery and a right calf injury, Kim is back on the IL with a lower back strain," Britton wrote. "Even in the event that Tampa Bay’s recent injury woes push it toward selling this week, a healthy return from Kim by season’s end would help both the Rays get a better grip on their middle infield situation and Kim understand his value ahead of his decision on a player option this winter."

Jonathan Aranda, Yandy Diaz are doing their best to keep Tampa Bay Rays in AL postseason discussion

At 54-53 overall, Tampa Bay is nine games behind AL East Division leader Toronto. Winning the division itself might look to be too much of a chore for the Rays right now. Aiming for a Wild Card spot, though? That looks like a doable assignment.