ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays, picked by almost no one to win the American League East entering the 2026 season, are on the verge of claiming the division title, rising to third in MLB.com’s final Power Rankings of the regular season.
The Rays jumped from fourth to third in the final rankings, with their season high-water mark reaching second place the week of May 25. Junior Caminero has been the centerpiece of the run, with MLB.com describing him as a player who “looks like he’s going to be a signature star in this league for the next decade-plus.”
“Almost no one picked the Rays to win the tough AL East this year,” MLB.com wrote in its rankings. “But it looks like it’s going to be theirs, with a deep, versatile roster led by Junior Caminero.”
The Milwaukee Brewers hold the top spot in the final rankings, on pace to win 100 games for the first time in franchise history behind Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski. The Los Angeles Dodgers sit second despite what MLB.com called a “hugely disappointing first season at Chavez Ravine for Kyle Tucker” and injury concerns for Shohei Ohtani.
The New York Yankees, ranked fifth, feature their own Cy Young frontrunner in Cam Schlittler and have remained competitive despite an extended injury absence from Aaron Judge. The Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is positioned to end Ohtani’s MVP reign, according to the rankings.
In exactly one week, 18 of the 30 MLB teams will be eliminated, with 12 advancing to the postseason. The Rays’ AL East title would secure them a spot among those 12, with the postseason field set to be determined when the regular season concludes.