The Chicago White Sox have had one full winning season since 2013, and they have lost 100 games three consecutive seasons, including a nightmare 121-loss campaign in 2024. That’s a lot of pain for their fans, to say the least. But it is all starting to come together. After a weekend when Chicago took two out of three from the reigning champion Dodgers and still sit in a virtual tie atop the AL Central, the White Sox shot up three spots to No. 6 in the MLB.com Power Rankings. Sixth! The White Sox! The sun may finally be coming out for this franchise.
These rankings, as always, are compiled from MLB.com contributors whose names you can find at the bottom of this (and every) piece, but the words are mine. If you dislike the rankings, yell at all of us. But if you dislike the words, feel free to yell at me.
1. Braves (previously: 1)
It is possible we’re not going to get the Spencer Strider we saw in 2023 again. He left Friday’s game with right elbow inflammation and manager Walt Weiss wasn’t feeling great about it. But the Braves may have a ready-made replacement in No. 2 prospect JR Ritchie, per MLB Pipeline, who came in and threw five scoreless innings in an eventual loss to the Mets. The Braves just seem to have guys lined up right now.
2. Dodgers (previously: 2)
The worry after Shohei Ohtani left a game last week with knee inflammation (and sat out the next game) made most of the headlines. But now that we know Shohei is OK, we can note even more good news for the Dodgers came when it turned out that Justin Wrobleski, who left the same game with a right hamstring contusion, is going to end up being fine as well, even unlikely to hit the injured list. “I’ll get some treatment on it, and I’ll be fine,” Wrobleski said. “I don’t think it’s a big deal. Just a little frustrating.”
3. Brewers (previously: 3)
Are you tired of hearing about Jacob Misiorowski’s all-time start against the Phillies on Friday? I certainly am not! The great Sarah Langs wrote up 13 facts and stats from the start, and they’re all jaw-dropping. Here are my favorite two:
- Misiorowski became the third pitcher with at least 15 strikeouts and no more than one baserunner in a shutout since at least 1900.
- Misiorowski threw 58 pitches at least 100 mph, besting his May 25, 2026, start for the most in a game under tracking. He has each of the three highest totals on the list, and they’re three of his last four starts.
That’s right: He’s getting better every start. Look out.
4. Yankees (previously: 4)
The Yankees have made a charge up at the Rays in the AL East, but they got more bad injury news this week when Trent Grisham hit the IL with a right hamstring strain, joining, of course, that Aaron Judge fellow. It’s yet another opportunity for Jasson Domínguez, who was recalled from his rehab assignment to replace Grisham. The Yankees need him: They are running out of guys.
5. Rays (previously: 6)
Why has the Rays’ once-substantial AL East lead frittered away? It has eroded the way it was built: It’s the pitching. Since May 24 — the stretch during which the lead evaporated — the Rays are tied for the third-worst record in baseball, because they have somehow put up a 5.06 ERA, ahead of only the Royals, A’s and Twins in the American League.
6. White Sox (previously: 9)
A near-no-hitter loss against the Dodgers was sandwiched between their two victories in this series, and all told, with the injury to Guardians star José Ramírez that same day, their odds to win the AL Central may have gone up. This is getting increasingly exciting.
7. Phillies (previously: 8)
The Phillies hoped, after their slow start before firing Rob Thomson and hiring Don Mattingly as manager, that they could show they were ready to be a legit NL contender again this weekend against Milwaukee. That may well still be true, but if they face the Brewers again, they’re going to have to figure out a way to solve Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison. Those two Brewers aces threw 15 scoreless innings this weekend against the Phils, who managed only four hits against them.
8. Mariners (previously: 7)
He’s still only 20, but there is no question that Colt Emerson belongs. In his past 12 games, he has been an MVP-caliber player, with five home runs and eight RBIs. That’s all the Mariners need, another MVP-caliber player. Still: That Nationals series turned the wrong direction on them.
9. Cardinals (previously: 10)
The Cardinals finally ran out of patience with Nolan Gorman, sending him down to Triple-A Memphis after his OPS fell all the way down to .598, by far the lowest of his career. He was replaced by Blaze Jordan, the Cardinals’ No. 25 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, who came over in the Steven Matz trade at the Deadline last year.
10. Guardians (previously: 5)
So: Obviously miserable news for the Guardians this weekend, with José Ramírez fracturing his hamate bone on Saturday and likely out for many weeks to come. It was just last week that I, in my ranking of the likelihood of last year’s playoff teams to return to the postseason this year, put the Guardians fourth. I would … absolutely drop them considerably were I to write the rankings today. And you would too.
11. Cubs (previously: 12)
The most up-and-down team in baseball got back on another winning streak this week, this a more modest three-gamer before their loss on Sunday. They’re still 10-23 since their second 10-game win streak ended on May 8.
12. Pirates (previously: 11)
The one thing the Pirates are supposed to have is starting pitching, but it has failed them during this current skid. Their rotation had a 6.26 ERA over a miserable 2-6 eight-game stretch entering Sunday’s loss, and the bullpen hasn’t been much better. It’s no wonder they fell back to .500 for the first time since the end of March.
13. Padres (previously: 15)
The bats seem to have vanished from the Padres’ hands. They’re averaging just a shade over three runs a game since May 24, which is probably why they’re 6-13 since then.
14. Diamondbacks (previously: 13)
The D-backs got Jordan Lawlar back just in time. In the midst of their worst stretch of play of the season, Lawlar returned from the 60-day IL on Friday and responded with two RBIs and a spectacular play in center field. It was such a good play you worried he might get hurt again. But he wasn’t worried. “I don't even think about it. I'm here to play, win and be aggressive. I play my best when I attack, and I'm on the offense, so that's how I want to play,” Lawlar said.
15. Nationals (previously: 14)
If the Nationals could just figure out how to win in our nation’s capital, they’d be challenging the Braves atop the NL East. On the road, they’re 23-14. But at Nationals Park? They’re 14-21. Though beating the Mariners twice in DC this weekend is an excellent start to turning it around.
16. A’s (previously: 20)
Hey, keeper league fantasy baseball players: Load up on A’s hitters who will be in their lineup come 2028. The A’s (and their opponents) launched homer after homer during their six-game series in Vegas, with Nick Kurtz particularly enjoying the desert air. In the six games in Vegas, he had four homers.
17. Blue Jays (previously: 16)
Alejandro Kirk is back. In his first game since fracturing his thumb on April 3, Kirk reached base four times with three hits and a walk. He makes the Jays look more like the Jays they thought they would be. “He’s just steady,” manager John Schneider said. “He's one of one. It's great to have him back for a variety of reasons.”
18. Marlins (previously: 25)
What a week for the Marlins, who reached the .500 mark for the first time in two months. Everything’s going right, but foremost among them has been their incredible pitching. Heading into the weekend, they led all of baseball in June with a 2.44 ERA and 2.09 rotation ERA. That’s how you end up the hottest team in the sport.
19. Rangers (previously: 17)
The Rangers worked their way back to .500 this week ever so briefly, largely because they finally started getting healthy, which is why it’s worrisome that … the injuries are already back. Corey Seager has missed games with rib and jaw soreness, and Friday, Evan Carter left with right oblique tightness. “It is part of the game,” said manager Skip Schumaker. “We’ve had some big guys go down, unfortunately.”
20. Orioles (previously: 18)
At last, at last, the Orioles are showing some signs of life, even with a couple of tough losses this weekend. In the last three weeks, their playoff odds have nearly doubled, though they’re still at only 27.8 percent. Though that may say more about the American League than it does the Orioles, it’s a sign that this season — which was always an all-in season for the Orioles — while frustrating so far, is still very much worth hanging in, for both the Orioles and their fans.
21. Reds (previously: 19)
The bottom, alas, has fallen out in Cincinnati. Since May 1, they are 13-26, and they have plummeted to last place in the NL Central. They now have the third-worst bullpen ERA in baseball, ahead of only the Rockies and Twins. The days of everyone in the NL Central having records over .500 seem like a long time ago.
22. Astros (previously: 21)
Much has been made out of Yordan Alvarez’s run for the Triple Crown this year, but he’s going for some franchise records, too. With 24 homers, he’s on pace to obliterate Jeff Bagwell’s franchise record of 47 homers in a season, set in 2000.
23. Mets (previously: 22)
There really are some signs of life in Queens, even if the lights are still just flickering rather than being turned all the way on. They’ve been four games over .500 since May 1. Still, though: They’re 5 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot, so the hill remains rather steep.
24. Twins (previously: 24)
Royce Lewis’ Triple-A sojourn seems to have helped. In his first seven games after being demoted to the Minors, he hit three homers with a batting average of .379. He had only three homers in 31 games before being sent down.
25. Tigers (previously: 27)
Tarik Skubal wasn’t quite his two-time Cy Young-winning self in his first game back on Saturday, but the most impressive thing was that he was back at all: You can’t find a single person who thought he’d be back 38 days after having surgery to remove a loose body from his elbow. He will surely get better with every start. The question now is: How many of them will he make with the Tigers?
26. Red Sox (previously: 23)
Are the Red Sox pulling the ripcord already? While he defended embattled chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy admitted this week that some big changes could be coming ... including selling at the Trade Deadline. “Unless things change dramatically, we may have to pivot here from what our initial planning was,” he said. “It just, it wouldn't be responsible to do otherwise."
27. Royals (previously: 26)
The Royals had thought they’d gotten through the worst of it after the 106-loss season in 2023, the first year of Matt Quatraro’s tenure. But they have regressed so dramatically that they’re on pace for 97 losses now … the exact number they had in the final year of Mike Matheny’s time with the team. They’re going backward fast.
28. Giants (previously: 28)
So much has been going wrong for the Giants this year, but one thing that hasn’t has been Logan Webb’s return from the injured list. In his last three starts he has thrown 23 innings and given up just one earned run, striking out 18. They’re still just 4-8 in his starts this season. If you’re wondering, he has two more years at a total of $47 million on his contract left after 2026.
29. Angels (previously: 30)
There aren’t a lot of players in Major League Baseball who were raised in Europe, but one of them looks like he’s about to become a part of the Angels’ rotation. Sam Aldegheri, who was raised in Verona, Italy, and pitched for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, filled in a spot start Friday and was excellent, helping the Angels beat the Rays. “I'm really glad that they gave me the opportunity to start tonight,” Aldegheri said. “I wanted to show that I'm able to handle these games.”
30. Rockies (previously: 29)
No. 6 Rockies prospect Cole Carrigg certainly made a strong impression with his first MLB home run last week, launching a 418-shot just a little bit farther than he launched his bat in a bat flip. The guy plays with clear verve. “I wouldn't say I'm necessarily too conscious about it,” Carrigg said. “It's just how I've always played the game, just competing at the highest level and trying to help the team any way I can.”
Voters: Jason Catania, Dan Cichalski, Mark Feinsand, Daniel Feldman, Rick Gold, Jared Greenspan, Thomas Harrigan, Will Leitch, Brent Maguire, Travis Miller, Brian Murphy, Arturo Pardavila, Andrew Simon, Zac Vierra, David Venn.