Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.
At the quarter mark of the Major League Baseball regular season, we’ve seen enough to say some things definitively. For Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, slow starts were just that. Fernando Tatís Jr. may never homer again. And that Shohei Ohtani — the guy with 160 homers, a 1.020 OPS and three consecutive MVPs since the start of the 2023 season — can really pitch!
By now, it’s also clear what each club is missing. Every team has a piece of the puzzle they’d really like back right now. Maybe it’s the one who got away in free agency or was shipped off in a regrettable trade. Maybe it’s an injured player. Maybe it’s a top prospect toiling at Triple A.
In this week’s MLB Power Rankings, we’re bringing back the “Wish You Were Here” edition.
Let’s dive in.
Stats are through Monday morning unless otherwise noted.
Record: 32-16
Last Power Ranking: 1
Wish you were here: Spencer Schwellenbach
Full disclosure: We had a whole paragraph here — and it was written real nice — about how, contrary to expectations, Atlanta’s only flaw to this point in the season was some offensive inconsistency. And thus, the player it really missed was Ronald Acuña Jr. And then, who was activated unexpectedly off the IL Monday? Ronald Acuña Jr. So we’re pivoting, because as surprisingly good and deep as Atlanta’s pitching staff has been to this point, Schwellenbach raises the ceiling, alongside Chris Sale and a looking-better Spencer Strider at the top of the rotation. — Tim Britton
Record: 29-19
Last Power Ranking: 3
Wish you were here: Tyler Glasnow
With Blake Snell going under the knife — er, arthroscopic needle — the Dodgers now have 12 pitchers on the injured list. They’ll be just fine relying upon Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ohtani to carry the rotation. They have hardly missed closer Edwin Díaz, as Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Kyle Hurt have locked down the late innings. Yet at some point, the bill comes due for a lack of (healthy) depth. The Dodgers added Eric Lauer to the mix and have had strong recent starts from Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki. But they’ll need a healthy Glasnow (lower back spasms) and his 2.72 ERA back on the bump before long. — Stephen J. Nesbitt
Record: 29-19
Last Power Ranking: 4
Wish you were here: Take your pick
Chicago entered the 2026 season expecting its staff ace (Justin Steele), budding ace (Cade Horton) and ol’ reliable (Matthew Boyd) to be the three-headed monster atop a club that fully expects to be playing in October. However, the Baseball Gods had something else in mind, as Steele suffered a setback in his rehab, Horton underwent season-ending surgery and Boyd tore his meniscus playing with his children. No mind, the Cubs entered their three-game set against the Brewers atop the NL Central, with baseball’s third-best record. Here’s the thing: the Brewers aren’t going anywhere, and the division once coined the Comedy Central is now the Competent Central, with all five clubs above .500 — the only division in MLB that can say that. — Johnny Flores Jr.
Record: 27-18
Last Power Ranking: 5
Wish you were here: Cooper Pratt
At this point, Joey Ortiz is who he is — a glove-first shortstop who’s been outclassed by major-league pitching. The Brewers could use a shakeup at the spot, or at the very least, someone with a competent bat. Enter Pratt. The 21-year-old has a .745 OPS in Triple A, and though he figures to be another glove-first player, he does have more walks (25) than strikeouts (23), plus 11 stolen bases. Signed to an eight-year, $51 million deal before even getting the call to The Show, Pratt is already on the 40-man roster, so his addition is really just a matter of logistics. — Flores
Record: 31-15
Last Power Ranking: 6
Wish you were here: Brandon Lowe
Look, when you’ve won twice as many games as you’ve lost, you don’t spend a whole lot of time lamenting what isn’t there. But given what Lowe has done in his first year in Pittsburgh — he entered Monday with 12 homers and an .895 OPS that would lead Tampa Bay — you could wonder how dangerous the Rays would look with that extra bat in their lineup. — Britton
Record: 29-19
Last Power Ranking: 2
Wish you were here: José Caballero
It feels crazy to say when Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Giancarlo Stanton are all on the IL, too, but Caballero might be the most helpful piece returning in the short term. His injury has opened the door for Anthony Volpe to win back his shortstop job — and Volpe at least had a nice weekend in the Subway Series — but his return should trigger a three-way battle for two spots on the left side of the infield. Ryan McMahon is off to a brutal offensive start, and even his typically stellar glove has been closer to average so far. — Britton
Record: 29-18
Last Power Ranking: 8
Wish you were here: Dylan Cease
The shorthanded San Diego rotation ranks 23rd in the majors in ERA (4.53). Michael King and Randy Vásquez have been great, but they’re about the only starters who have shown up. Meanwhile, Cease is dominating early in his Toronto Blue Jays tenure, posting a 2.41 ERA through nine starts and leading the AL in strikeouts. The Padres acquired Cease from the Chicago White Sox for four prospects in 2024, and he posted ERAs of 3.47 and 4.55 in two seasons with San Diego before signing a seven-year, $210 million free-agent contract with the Blue Jays this winter. — Nesbitt
Record: 24-23
Last Power Ranking: 7
Wish you were here: Ryan O’Hearn
Part of me half-jokingly wanted to write Paul Skenes’ name after he got rocked for five runs against the Phillies just five days after bringing down his ERA to under 2.00. (It’s 2.62 now, by the way.) However, the Pirates will miss the services of O’Hearn, whom they signed in the offseason to a two-year deal. On pace to make his second consecutive All-Star team, O’Hearn will be out for “weeks” with a strained right quad that he suffered on Saturday. It’s a significant injury for a club that will play 13 games in 13 days. — Flores
Record: 27-22
Last Power Ranking: 14
Wish you were here: 2022-2024 Steven Kwan
The last time Kwan wasn’t hitting leadoff for the Guardians, Liam and Noel Gallagher were still feuding, and the thought of an Oasis reunion was improbable. Now, they’re basking in Man City glory. (It was nearly four years ago, to be fair.) That’s the kind of slump Kwan is in that necessitated a lineup shakeup. He’s not chasing, whiffing or striking out at elite levels, and the defense is still solid, but Cleveland would love to have the guy that once flirted with .400. Guards Ball is more fun that way, too. — Flores
Record: 23-26
Last Power Ranking: 10
Wish you were here: Cal Raleigh
Fresh off an AL MVP runner-up campaign, Big Dumper started the 2026 season like this: walk, strikeout, strikeout, strikeout, strikeout, strikeout, strikeout, strikeout, strikeout. That was rough. For a month and a half, Raleigh’s strikeout rate soared and his batting average plunged. He was scratched from the lineup on May 3 with general soreness. Ten days later, amid a 2-for-44 slump, he went on the IL with a strained oblique. The Mariners have stayed within striking distance of the Athletics and Rangers despite little pre-injury production from their All-Star catcher. To make another deep playoff run, Seattle doesn’t necessarily need MVP-caliber Raleigh. But they do need him healthy and contributing. — Nesbitt
Record: 27-19
Last Power Ranking: 11
Wish you were here: Lars Nootbaar
Resigned to a rebuilding season after dealing multiple veterans over the winter, the Cardinals have been one of 2026’s biggest surprises. Behind a youth movement, St. Louis entered Monday just 1 1/2 games back in the NL Central. The Cards have been relatively healthy to begin the season, but they’re still waiting on the return of Nootbaar, who’s been rehabbing from double heel surgery. He should be back soon, having recently begun a rehab assignment, where he has two hits, including one homer in three at-bats. — Flores
Record: 25-23
Last Power Ranking: 24
Wish you were here: Aidan Miller
The Phillies are 15-4 under Don Mattingly, and they’ve gotten themselves back up over .500 in swift fashion behind hot streaks from Kyle Schwarber, Cristopher Sánchez and Bryce Harper. The roster depth, on the other hand, is an issue, and no spot has been a bigger vacuum than third base. The bottom has fallen out for Alec Bohm, and potential replacement Edmundo Sosa has been no better. Miller, the organization’s top prospect, would be a great option to step in — if he hadn’t been out all season so far with a back injury. — Britton
Record: 22-25
Last Power Ranking: 12
Wish you were here: Wyatt Langford
This winter, few would have guessed the Rangers’ best hitters through mid-May would be Josh Jung and Ezequiel Durán. There is promise in this Texas lineup, yet it will not realize its full potential without Langford returning to 100 percent after a forearm strain that has kept him out since April 21. After a 22-homer, 22-steal season in 2025, Langford has seen his wRC+ drop from 118 to 77. He’s far from the only Rangers regular yet to warm up: Corey Seager, Evan Carter and Danny Jansen all rate at least 10 percent below league average by wRC+ so far this season, while Jake Burger and Joc Pederson just escaped that range last weekend. — Nesbitt
Record: 21-26
Last Power Ranking: T-15
Wish you were here: Last year’s George Springer
Springer’s resurgent 2025 was one of the main sparks for Toronto’s pennant-winning turnaround, and he proved again in October why he’s one of the sport’s best big-game players. But so far this season, Springer has been a shell of that self. One point of OBP shy of a .300/.400/.500 line last season, Springer is six slugging points shy of even getting to .100/.200/.300 this year, and his Baseball Savant page has as many shades of blue as the Jays’ unis (and no red for Canada Day). — Britton
Record: 23-24
Last Power Ranking: 13
Wish you were here: The heart of the order
Early this season, the most common configurations of the Athletics’ lineup had Tyler Soderstrom, Brent Rooker and Jacob Wilson batting 3-4-5. Last year, Rooker slugged 30 homers, Soderstrom had 25, and Wilson batted .311. With that trio hitting behind 30-homer guys Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers, the A’s had the makings of a mighty top of the lineup. But so far this season, Rooker and Soderstrom are batting below .200 with OPS in the mid-.600s. Rooker missed time with an oblique injury, and now Wilson is on the injured list after hurting his shoulder on a diving play. And yet the team is leading the division. Just imagine what they could do with a little production from the middle of the batting order. — Nesbitt
Record: 20-28
Last Power Ranking: 9
Wish you were here: Well, everyone
On Friday, the Tigers posted what can only be considered a massive PDF file on social media, detailing the injury statuses of 14 (!) players, including five starters, multiple relievers and position players. Chief among them is reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, but the list also includes two players who were All-Stars last year (Javier Báez and Gleyber Torres). After holding onto Skubal through the winter, the Tigers entered 2026 looking to maximize their final season with the ace and escape Division Series purgatory. Their record, so far, is rough. Fortunately, the rest of the AL isn’t all that locked in on winning, either. — Flores
Record: 23-23
Last Power Ranking: 19
Wish you were here: Corbin Burnes
Despite excellent production from starters Eduardo Rodríguez and Michael Soroka this season, the Diamondbacks have a bottom-third starting rotation ERA (4.43). Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Ryne Nelson all have ERAs north of 5, though Kelly took a step forward with a complete game at Coors Field on Friday. Still, the Snakes don’t have an ace. Arizona had that guy, briefly, before Burnes underwent Tommy John surgery last June. Burnes is slowly building his arm back up. His return would change the composition of the D-Backs’ pitching staff. The 2021 NL Cy Young winner has a 2.86 ERA over his past six MLB seasons. — Nesbitt
Record: 21-26
Last Power Ranking: T-26
Wish you were here: Francisco Lindor
Spend the last 20 seconds — or the last 20 weeks — in the comments section of a Mets story, and you’ll find fans lamenting the absences of Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Díaz. But the player the Mets miss the most is the member of their core that they kept last winter: Lindor. Out since April 23 with a calf strain — and still without a clear timeline for his return — Lindor can’t set the table or stabilize the middle infield for the Mets. New York played better this past week, but injuries to so many of their key offensive players make an already uphill climb back to contention steeper. — Britton
Record: 24-23
Last Power Ranking: 18
Wish you were here: Kyle Teel
In case you haven’t been paying attention, the 2026 White Sox are good, and dare I say, must-watch TV. Granted, recent history (102 losses in 2025, 121 losses in 2024) hasn’t given anyone a reason to care, but here’s your invite to jump on the bandwagon. The Sox are in firm contention in the AL Central. Odds are, they’d probably be leading if they had the services of Teel, who’s been out since March 25 with a hamstring strain that he suffered during the World Baseball Classic. He tweaked his knee on May 16 and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday. As a rookie, he posted 1.9 fWAR in just 78 games, third-most on the team. That type of production is hard to replace, and it’s showing early. — Flores
Record: 24-24
Last Power Ranking: T-21
Wish you were here: Eugenio Suárez from the first half of 2025
After finishing last season with the 10th-fewest home runs, despite playing 81 of their games at Great American Ball Park, which ranked in the Top 5 for Park Factor, the Reds sought a power bat and signed one in a reunion with Suárez on a one-year deal. So far, that’s not what they’ve gotten. Before going on the IL with a left oblique strain, Suárez had just three homers and a wRC+ of 84. As a whole, the Reds haven’t struggled to hit homers, having the fifth-most in MLB (61) this season. But they’re also fluttering around .500 and have scored the fewest runs in a competitive NL Central. There’s no doubt they’d love to have the Suárez who clubbed 36 homers in last season’s first half. — Flores
Record: 22-26
Last Power Ranking: T-21
Wish you were here: Louis Varland
Nearly one year ago, the Twins traded away 10 players off their major-league roster at the deadline, receiving players and prospects of various statuses in return. Almost a year later, none sting more than Varland. Not only because he was a Minnesota native, but because of the 0.38 ERA he sports this season for the Blue Jays. Meanwhile, Twins relievers have a 5.16 ERA mark, third-worst in the league. The last time Varland allowed a run (April 25), Kyle Schwarber was sitting at eight homers. He’s up to a league-leading 20 on the year. — Flores
Record: 22-26
Last Power Ranking: T-15
Wish you were here: Robby Snelling
Nothing bums us out quite as much as a talented pitcher hitting the IL with a concerning elbow injury, and it’s especially disappointing when the talented pitcher is a highly rated prospect coming off his major-league debut. That’s the case for Snelling, who is on the IL because of a sprained UCL after just one start in the bigs. A healthy return from the 22-year-old would be a major boost to a solid if unspectacular rotation. — Britton
Record: 20-27
Last Power Ranking: 17
Wish you were here: An infielder who could hit
It doesn’t have to be Alex Bregman, who is off to an only decent start with the Cubs. But Boston pretty clearly needed one more infield bat coming into the season, and that need is only more acute now. Entering Monday, Marcelo Mayer, Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin have combined to hit .196/.256/.287. That’s a .544 OPS from three-quarters of the infield. That’s a big reason why the Sox, unlike the Phillies, haven’t made a run since making a change at manager. —Britton
Record: 21-27
Last Power Ranking: 28
Wish you were here: Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson and Dave McNally
Baltimore’s offense isn’t world-beating, but it’s coming around. Adley Rutschman is off to an encouraging start, and Pete Alonso has looked more like his homer-hitting self in May. That starting rotation, though, remains as big a problem as ever. Trevor Rogers’ remarkable run last season looks like a mirage. Shane Baz still hasn’t translated his good stuff into good results, and Chris Bassitt is off to a rough start himself. It makes you long for the legendary 1971 rotation with four 20-game winners. Really, the O’s would be happy with any one of them. — Britton
Record: 23-25
Last Power Ranking: 23
Wish you were here: Josiah Gray
The Nationals’ offense has been one of the sport’s biggest surprises through more than a quarter of the season, leading the league in runs per game entering Monday. The pitching staff, unfortunately, has not been a surprise in leading the league in runs allowed per game. It would be unfair to expect Gray, who hasn’t pitched since early in the 2024 season, to change that. But Gray’s continued health challenges since a really nice 2023 season are one reason Washington’s rebuild has lasted this long, and why this year’s team isn’t even more of an early dark horse in the National League. — Britton
Record: 20-28
Last Power Ranking: 20
Wish you were here: World Baseball Classic Vinnie Pasquantino
A lot can happen in 70 days. Back then, Pasquantino was crushing espresso shots and leading Team Italy on a Cinderella run through this year’s World Baseball Classic. His three homers in one game were a WBC first, and he finished with a .970 OPS and more walks (7) than strikeouts (5), giving Royals fans outsized hope that he could carry that production into the season. So much for that. Pasquantino has a 74 wRC+ on the year, with just five homers in 45 games. His batted-ball data is worse than 2025, so he’s not entirely unlucky. Perhaps the Royals should pry back the espresso machine from the winning bidder. — Flores
Record: 20-28
Last Power Ranking: 30
Wish you were here: Logan Webb
There’s more that ails the Giants than just their rotation depth, but issues are rarely made better by losing an ace. Webb had a miserable start to the season — allowing seven runs (six earned) in five innings on Opening Day — and then seemed to settle in somewhat before going on the injured list with right knee bursitis after getting smoked by the San Diego Padres on May 5. Robbie Ray has been a bright spot early for the San Francisco rotation, entering the week with a 3.04 ERA through nine starts, but the Giants aren’t turning the ship around this season without Webb leading the way. He can’t come back soon enough. — Nesbitt
Record: 19-30
Last Power Ranking: T-26
Wish you were here: Hunter Brown
There’s no shortage of candidates here, from the players on the Astros’ lengthy injured list — Jeremy Peña, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Josh Hader and Yainer Díaz, to name only a handful — to the starter who walked in free agency, Framber Valdez. Astros pitching has been abysmal this season. They have the worst staff ERA in the majors (5.43) by nearly half a run. Brown, who finished third in AL Cy Young voting last year, tossed 10 2/3 innings of one-run baseball in March before suffering a shoulder strain. He recently moved to the 60-day IL. Brown could return by the middle of June. By then, though, Houston’s season may already be sunk. — Nesbitt
Record: 17-31
Last Power Ranking: 25
Wish you were here: Taylor Ward
Ward is still searching for barrels in Baltimore — he has only one homer there after hammering 36 last year — but is off to a nice start regardless by leading the league in doubles and walks. The Angels are a mess. It doesn’t help that when Grayson Rodriguez, the player Ward was traded for, finally came off the injured list Sunday to make his Angels debut, he was blitzed by the Dodgers. The Angels replaced Ward by trading for Rays left fielder Josh Lowe in a three-team trade that sent a solid lefty reliever, Brock Burke, to Cincinnati. Lowe is batting .179 in a part-time role, his .225 on-base percentage a full 194 points lower than Ward’s. — Nesbitt
Record: 18-29
Last Power Ranking: 29
Wish you were here: Chase Dollander
If there’s one thing the Rockies can’t afford to lose, it’s starting pitching. That’s why alarm bells sounded over the weekend as Dollander was placed on the injured list with a right elbow sprain. Rockies starters have the worst ERA (5.64) in the majors, and it’s not close. Dollander, meanwhile, allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his nine outings before the injury. The ninth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Dollander struggled as a rookie last season, going 2-12 with a 6.52 ERA, but the hard-throwing right-hander has found far better results with a stronger pitch mix this year. — Nesbitt
