MLB Power Rankings: Where Do All 30 Teams Stand In Late August? (2026)

August 26, 2026

RotoBaller's MLB power rankings for all 30 teams in late August. Where does each MLB team stand in our latest power rankings for the 2026 season?

If you're looking for competitive races in Major League Baseball, you're pretty much going to find yourself focused on the wild card races. The National League has a few teams fighting for that final spot, but the competitors are pretty clear.

In the American League, though? It's a jumbled mess. There are currently seven teams in the AL wild card race that are all within at least three games of each other. Nobody's season is over if you're one of those seven.

So how does it all shake out? Find out in this week's edition of our MLB Power Rankings. Note: Stats and rankings reflect games played through Sunday, August 23.

No. 30 - Athletics

The A's lowly season continues to be defined by injuries to key contributors. Tyler Soderstrom's season ended this week as the A's announced he would be having hip surgery to heal an ailment that's been bothering him for quite a few weeks now.

On the positive side of things, there may be some hope for their pitching staff. Jacob Lopez looks to have really locked it in for the second half, posting a 2.33 ERA since the break. It's small silver linings like these that the A's have to look forward to for the rest of the season.

No. 29 - Colorado Rockies

The positives from a solid week last week were erased after the Rockies hosted the Dodgers and Guardians at Coors, failing to win a single game. Facing two strong teams never helps the situation, but Rockies fans would have appreciated seeing a little more success on the diamond.

To make matters worse, Hunter Goodman hit the IL with a shoulder strain last Tuesday. Colorado's lineup is missing quite a bit of production with his bat out of service. That will give some other guys a chance to shine, but it may not be a pretty product on the field without Goodman.

No. 28 - Los Angeles Angels

There's just something about the Rangers that seems to bring out the best in the Angels. They're now 8-4 on the season against their division rivals, helping to shape both the AL West and AL Wild Card races. It's not in the way that Angels fans would like to shape it, but they're helping out.

Part of the reason is that Zach Neto has been on fire this week. His five-hit, seven-RBI game on Thursday was a standout performance on the season. His bat getting hot will certainly help to make Angels games more palatable to watch.

No. 27 - San Francisco Giants

This weekend marked a big weekend for Rafael Devers. It was his first return to Fenway Park since the Red Sox traded him to the Giants last year. In a predictable fashion, he homered in his first game back. There was nothing less he'd do in that situation.

As for the rest of the Giants? Well, they had an incredibly forgettable week. They continue their slide down the standings after an underwhelming season. With so many injuries they're dealing with, the focus has now moved from young players developing to draft positioning for 2027.

No. 26 - Kansas City Royals

If the Royals had played all season the way they have since the All-Star break, they'd have been in an incredibly solid position. But instead, it's too little too late. Their 19-15 record in the second half, prior to Sunday's matchup against the Tigers, has them as a top-ten team since the break.

Part of that is thanks to a seven-game winning streak and the performance of none other than Randy Dobnak. He's made seven starts since the break and has one or fewer ER allowed in all but one of those. At the very least, Kansas City is making baseball fun to watch for their fans as we head down the home stretch.

No. 25 - New York Mets

Another surprising second-half team, the Mets are playing like they were expected to coming into this season. The pitching staff has pitched to a 3.52 ERA since the break, while the offense is hitting for a 108 wRC+. That's a winning recipe that'd be great if they weren't already 11 games back of the final wild card spot.

Carson Benge has helped the offense a ton with his development, posting a .967 OPS in August with five homers. 2026 has been a wasted season in Queens, but there are at least some good things developing beneath the surface.

No. 24 - Washington Nationals

For much of the season, the Nationals have been one of the league's best offenses. That tide has turned massively in August. During the month, they're hitting for just an 80 wRC+. Sure, the departure of Luis Garcia Jr. has hurt, and James Wood being on the IL hasn't helped matters either.

But it's quite the fall still. They're now well out of the NL Wild Card race and have to focus on next year. There are some positives in the lineup still, such as Abilimec Ortiz and his hot streak, but for the most part, baseball in Washington has become lackluster.

No. 23 - Cincinnati Reds

It's not that the Reds haven't had a decent second half. They have! It's just that they're way too far out of things to be able to make an impact in the wild card race. There was slight hope last week, but they simply haven't been able to get things rolling enough to gain ground.

At the very least, Chase Burns has continued to dominate on the mound. He's throwing to a 2.43 ERA on the mound in the second half, fueled by a solid 11.07 K/9. There are decent pieces in Cincinnati right now, it just hasn't been enough this season.

No. 22 - Pittsburgh Pirates

At one point in the season, it looked like Pittsburgh was going to be in the wild card race until the end. The tides had seemingly turned until June came around. Since June 1st, they've gone 31-40, dropping them well out of the wild card race.

The pitching staff has really disappointed after a strong start. Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, and Jared Jones all have an ERA of 4.25 or worse. The Skenes fall-off may be the most disappointing given his stature in past seasons. The Pirates had a chance to change things this season but just weren't able to take advantage.

No. 21 - Seattle Mariners

Saturday was a day to remember in Seattle. Their top prospect, Kade Anderson, made his highly anticipated Major League debut on the mound against the Cubs and held his own. Then Randy Arozarena stole the show by hitting a leadoff homer, robbing a homer, then hitting a walk-off homer.

Randy Arozarena hits ANOTHER leadoff home run! pic.twitter.com/hvB6HTeB4c

— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2026

That may turn around their disappointing season as they find themselves just a couple of games out of the AL Wild Card race. They're also close to the AL West lead, but their focus needs to be simply snagging a spot. They're one of many in the AL that have a chance to sneak into the last wild card spot.

No. 20 - Detroit Tigers

The Tigers join the Mariners as a team with an underwhelming start, but still realistic expectations to snag the last wild card spot. It'd help their cause if they could've found a way to win at least one more game against the lowly Royals this weekend, but that wasn't something they could take advantage of.

But is positive regression headed their way? They're the only team in the AL Wild Card race, outside of the Yankees and Red Sox, who have a positive run differential. It doesn't guarantee they snag that final spot, but it does at least tell us they could be a serious threat down the stretch.

No. 19 - Minnesota Twins

The Twins may be the most overlooked team in the American League right now. Early in the week, they swept the Braves, helping to keep them in the AL Wild Card race. But struggles against the Padres pretty much wiped out all of that progress.

If they're going to surprise the league and snag the final AL wild card spot, they're going to need to step it up on both sides of the ball. The lineup's hitting for just a 92 wRC+ in the second half while the pitching staff has a 4.71 ERA. Those aren't winning numbers. If they can get those turned around then they may be able to snag that final spot.

No. 18 - Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles signed Pete Alonso in the offseason with big expectations, and the 31-year-old is starting to really come through for them. In August, he's been lighting it up with his bat, crushing for a 1.139 OPS with seven homers coming into Sunday's game against Tampa.

That's helped to keep the Orioles in the AL Wild Card race, which seemed to be their expectations coming into the season. The record doesn't look great, but it doesn't need to be pretty to snag the final spot in the AL.

No. 17 - Toronto Blue Jays

Speaking of bird-named teams in the AL East that are competing for the final AL wild card spot, the Blue Jays continue to stay in it after looking like they'd been left for dead. They survived a murderer's row of opponents over their last four series, winning ten of 15 games against the Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays.

They now have a realistic shot to snag the final wild card spot in an attempt to get back to the World Series in consecutive years. That didn't seem possible less than a month ago, but nearly anything is possible in the AL Wild Card race.

No. 16 - Cleveland Guardians

It's never a bad thing to have to face the Giants and Rockies when you need to find a way to not lose ground in the wild card race. That was the case for the Guardians this week as they cruised through the bottom-feeders of the NL West.

Jo Adell was acquired at the deadline, and he's really starting to cook for Cleveland. He's hitting for a 169 wRC+ with four homers over the last 14 days. The Guardians look like they're in a good spot in the wild card race, but they may still have a shot at the AL Central. A large deficit didn't stop them last season and they may be able to repeat that this season.

No. 15 - Texas Rangers

If you're a Rangers fan, then boy, do I have good news for you. You don't have to face the Angels anymore this season! Other teams may salivate at the opportunity, but the Rangers have struggled mightily against their division opponents this season.

Had they been able to treat them like any other opponent, then they'd have started to create some space between them and the other AL Wild Card competitors. They may even have sole possession of first in the AL West as well! But that hasn't been the case this season, and Texas finds itself in a fight as we head down the home stretch.

No. 14 - St. Louis Cardinals

Here's the difference between the National League and the American League. If the Cardinals were in the American League, they would be leading the wild card race. But because they are in the National League, their playoff odds sit at just 4.7% heading into Sunday's action.

That shouldn't take away from the progress St. Louis has made this year. They have the NL Rookie of the Year favorite on the roster in JJ Wetherholt, whose defensive skills are evident by his being in the 100th percentile of Outs Above Average. Even if the Cardinals miss the playoffs, they've got strong pieces on the roster that will certainly help their future.

No. 13 - Miami Marlins

If the Marlins can find a way to get their June form back, then the National League could be in trouble. But since the break, they haven't quite been able to find it. They've also become a bit of a streaky team. When it's good, it's good! When it's bad, it's not.

It's as simple as that for Miami. They've got plenty of talent in the lineup, including Griffin Conine and Heriberto Hernandez as young future core pieces. But a little more consistency all around would be appreciated in Miami.

No. 12 - Houston Astros

If there's one team that's more thankful for the Rangers' struggles against the Angels than the Angels themselves, it's going to be the Astros. Houston is at least tied with Texas AL West divisional race right now thanks to the Angels' successes. Or Texas' struggles, whichever way you want to view it.

Houston shouldn't get too high, though, because they had their own struggles with the bottom of the AL West this week, including losing a series to the Angels. The Astros should be very thankful they're not further down in the AL West standings, especially with how they've struggled over their last nine games.

No. 11 - Chicago White Sox

The White Sox still hold a lead in the AL Central, probably the most surprising aspect of this season. But it's going to be tight down the stretch. Cleveland is starting to find its groove again, and we know how 2025 went for them down the stretch.

For Chicago to hold on, they're likely going to need their pitching to improve. They've thrown to a 4.43 ERA in August. That's not much worse than their 4.11 ERA on the season, but it doesn't provide much room for error. The White Sox are a great surprise, but they can't slip up now.

No. 10 - Arizona Diamondbacks

The Ketel Marte saga is running wild in Phoenix right now. Yes, the switch-hitter is dealing with a knee injury that's hampering him. But the optics of his recovery strategies, we'll call them, don't exactly look great. That may lead to more distractions for the DBacks, which they don't need with the Padres heating up and speeding past them.

August hasn't been a terrible month for them, but they keep slipping when they can't really afford to. That's going to make for a loaded September when they'll face a lot of teams fighting for a playoff spot.

No. 9 - San Diego Padres

Speaking of those Padres, they've been on a roll in August. Prior to Sunday's game against the Twins, they'd gone 14-6 in August, and now they look completely revitalized. That's even with both Robbie Ray and Casey Mize, their new trade deadline acquisitions, not quite looking like themselves on the mound yet.

Fernando Tatis Jr. has been more than making up for it, though. He's been crushing it at the plate, hitting for a 1.136 OPS over the last 14 days. His glove made waves in Queens as well, snagging a grand slam away from Francisco Lindor before hitting two homers.

DID HE CATCH IT?!

Fernando Tatis Jr. robs a grand slam from Francisco Lindor! pic.twitter.com/6m2O0Yrb2a

— MLB (@MLB) August 18, 2026

The Padres are rolling, and Tatis is a huge reason for that. The National League needs to look out for San Diego.

No. 8 - Boston Red Sox

Boston needed a good week in order to get some of that confidence back. And they did just that, handling both the DBacks and Giants at Fenway. That's gotten them a bit more cushion in the wild card race. Not that they need it, but anything helps.

They'll now gear up for the postseason. Garrett Crochet could return to the pitching staff before the season's end, but he and the Red Sox are now aiming for him to be a reliever. That could be very valuable for Boston in October as they aim to make it to the World Series for the first time since 2018.

No. 7 - Philadelphia Phillies

If you're looking for the hottest team over the last ten games, then you're looking at one of them in Philadelphia. They've posted a 9-1 record over their last ten, tied with the Royals (surprising, right?). That's helped them create a little more space in the wild card race, now with a two-game lead over the Padres.

Kyle Schwarber WALK-OFF HOMER!

6 RUNS IN THE 9TH
9 STRAIGHT WINS
THE @PHILLIES!!! pic.twitter.com/PNwVEQveCN

— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2026

But they may have their sights set on bigger prizes. The NL East looks to be back in play for Philly, sitting just three games behind the Braves now. Long gone is their horrid April. They're looking like the perennial playoff contender they've turned into over the last five seasons or so.

No. 6 - New York Yankees

As soon as the Yankees get a player back healthy, they seem to lose another one. Cody Bellinger returned to New York's lineup for the first time in a month, helping to stabilize their lineup. On the flip side, Ryan Weathers hit the IL with a forearm strain.

New York can't seem to find any semblance of luck when it comes to health. They still have a chance in the AL East, though, sitting just three games back of Tampa Bay. If more players can step up in their stars' absences, such as Spencer Jones with his recent hot streak, then they may be able to steal the division title away from the Rays.

No. 5 - Chicago Cubs

The Cubs got a front-row seat to Kade Anderson's debut for the Mariners. And while they held their own against him, they'd rather forget how that day, and really that weekend, went for them. They took their frustrations out on Sunday, piling up 19 runs in an effort to get back on the winning track.

The Cubs, as a whole, are getting back to their lineup's smashing ways. They've hit for a 120 wRC+ over the last 14 days, a number that puts them sixth in that span. With the pitching starting to look decent as well, they are aiming to have a very successful postseason at Wrigley.

No. 4 - Atlanta Braves

Are they ever going to wrap up the NL East? They've had plenty of opportunities to try and create space between them and the Phillies, but they keep slipping up. A 3-7 run over their last ten games has gotten them down to just a three-game lead over Philadelphia.

They don't get much time to think about how to turn it around either. They've got a three-game set against the Dodgers early this week. If they can't figure out how to win that series, then it's going to be a real fight for the NL East through September.

No. 3 - Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays' story could be almost exactly the same as the Braves' story. A 3-7 run in their last ten games and just a three-game lead over their division rivals. That's not how they want to enter the postseason, even though they are pretty much a guarantee to play in October.

Newly acquired Freddy Peralta has not been great in his time as a Ray so far. He's posted a 7.17 ERA in his four starts since joining Tampa. He has the talent to be able to turn things around, but Tampa needs it to happen quickly if they want to stave off the Yankees.

No. 2- Los Angeles Dodgers

What's one way to get back on track after the Brewers take three of four from you in a highly anticipated series at your home stadium? You simply go out and sweep the Rockies and Pirates for a perfect week. It's that easy!

Those losses to the Brewers are going to hurt down the road, though. There's just a one-game difference between LA and Milwaukee right now. At least splitting that series would have gone a long way to ensuring home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Instead, LA's going to have to fight for it a little bit harder than they'd like to.

No. 1 - Milwaukee Brewers

Our top team again is the Brewers. While it's expected that they're always going to be pretty good on the mound, they've been very solid with their bats. This week, they laid down one of the league's biggest victories by posting a 22-0 shutout win against the Mariners.

And as we mentioned in the Dodgers' slide, the Brewers currently hold the league's best record by one game over the Dodgers. Home-field advantage could be very beneficial for Milwaukee, so they'll want to hold onto that as long as possible.

Regardless, Milwaukee is our top team again this week.

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