Yankees-Mets 'Rivalry Weekend' matchup highlights 5 series to watch this week

With May well underway, the 2026 MLB season has reached its cruising altitude, with players and fans alike settled back in to the routine of daily baseball. But that comfortable familiarity is not without plenty of compelling matchups.

This week sees a number of fun series that are worth your time, including a slew of matchups starting Friday as part of "Rivalry Weekend" presented by Booking.com.

Here are five series to watch.

Rays at Blue Jays
3 games (Monday-Wednesday)

Head to head: The Rays have won all three games between the teams so far this season while outscoring the Blue Jays, 12-4. The Rays won the season series last year, 7-6.

Storyline: The Rays have been surging and climbing toward first place in the AL East, while the Blue Jays have been sputtering and unable to find consistency. The Rays are 8-2 over their past 10, while the defending AL champs are 4-6. The Rays can further dent the Blue Jays' hopes of another postseason run with a strong showing in this series.

Watch out for: On the Rays, look for first baseman Jonathan Aranda. He's hitting .458 with a 1.036 OPS over his past seven games through Sunday and is tied for second in the AL with 29 RBIs. On the Blue Jays, pay attention to slugger Kazuma Okamoto. The third baseman changed where he stands in the batter's box and has hit .303 with a 1.049 OPS in the 21 games since.

Phillies at Red Sox
3 games (Tuesday-Thursday)

Head to head: This is their first meeting of the season. The Phillies took the season series last year, 2-1. Historically, however, the Red Sox have dominated. Since Interleague Play began in 1997, Boston is 53-37 against the Phillies.

Storyline: Both teams began the season with postseason aspirations, but both find themselves looking to build momentum after parting ways with their managers amid disappointing starts. Both have made strides, too, with the Phillies (19-22) going 7-3 over their past 10 and the Red Sox (17-23) managing to go 5-5. One of them will have taken another step forward at the end of this series.

Watch out for: Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. After a slow start by his standards, Harper's starting to heat up. He has a 1.086 OPS over his past 15 games. Schwarber, meanwhile, is on a heater and back in his familiar spot among MLB's home run leaders after a two-homer day Sunday. These two are arguably the biggest keys to the Phillies making a postseason run after their poor start.

Cubs at Braves
3 games (Tuesday-Thursday)

Head to head: This is the first meeting between the Cubs and Braves this season. Chicago won last season's series, 4-2. Since the start of 2024, the teams have split their 12 meetings, with each going 6-6.

Storyline: This matchup of the NL's two best teams by record could very well be a postseason preview. The Cubs (27-14) come to Atlanta hot, having won 10 of their past 12 (which included their SECOND 10-game winning streak of the season), while the Braves (28-13) have the best record in the Majors and just took two of three from the Dodgers in L.A. This will be a clash of NL titans and a good test for both.

Watch out for: Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II. All four are having MVP-caliber seasons, with Olson in particular worthy of a spotlight. He leads the NL in OPS (1.031), leads MLB in runs (36) and doubles (15), and is tied for the MLB lead in RBIs (36). He's also second in the NL in homers, with 14. But the whole quartet has been clicking all season and is a major reason why the Braves have rebounded so strongly after a disappointing 2025.

Yankees at Mets
3 games (Friday-Sunday)

Head to head: This is their first meeting of the season. The two New York squads split their six games last season, 3-3. The Yankees easily hold the all-time record, however, with an 83-69 record since 1997.

Storyline: This Subway Series is the marquee matchup of "Rivalry Weekend." And though the Yankees and Mets appear headed in different directions this season, their meetings always bring the potential for delicious baseball drama. The Bronx Bombers (26-15) are tied with the Rays for the most wins in the AL, while the Amazins (15-25) have started their season in nightmarish fashion and are looking to claw their way out of the basement in the NL East.

Watch out for: Aaron Judge and Ben Rice for the Yankees and Juan Soto for the Mets. Judge and Rice have been mashing, with Judge tied for the MLB lead in homers (16) and Rice leading all qualified MLB hitters with a 1.093 OPS. Meanwhile, Soto, the former Yankee and current Met, is off to a somewhat slow start by his standards (.826 OPS). But don't be surprised if this is the series where he takes off.

Padres at Mariners
3 games (Friday-Sunday)

Head to head: The teams met for a three-game series in San Diego in mid-April, with the Padres sweeping the series. It was a complete reversal of last season, when the Mariners swept their three-game set in San Diego. Seattle ultimately took the season series, 5-1.

Storyline: When will the superstars get hot? Usual Padres sluggers Manny Machado (.647 OPS) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (.611 OPS and NO homers) have been nowhere near their slugging norms so far this season, while Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh -- he of 60 homers last season -- has just a .573 OPS entering Monday. It's probably just a matter of time for all three. But both the Padres and Mariners will need their stars to shine if they hope to make it back to the postseason.

Watch out for: Julio Rodríguez. Like Raleigh, the Mariners' slugger hasn't performed like himself for much of the season so far. But the past two weeks have been a different story. J-Rod is hitting .333 with five homers and a 1.022 OPS over his past 14 games, signaling that he could be on the precipice of a sustained hot streak that leads to another big season.