MLB Power Rankings Week 24: AL contender rising in mid-September

A third of the way through September, the 2026 playoff picture is taking shape.

No team has secured a postseason berth yet, or even clinched a division, although a number of contenders have more than a 99% chance of making the playoffs. But a couple of clubs that seemed all but out of October are making a push in the final month.

The Blue Jays, after taking the Dodgers all the way to Game 7 of last year's World Series, are just a game back of the final American League wild-card spot -- and three spots up on our list -- after looking like they wouldn't be returning to October for most of the season. Meanwhile, the Guardians are staying close to the White Sox in the AL Central, and the Rangers remain only two games behind the Astros in the AL West.

The National League appears to be a bit more set, with the closest division being the NL East with the Braves three games up on the Phillies after the pair split a four-game series over the weekend. The final wild-card berth is seemingly the one playoff spot still left up for grabs, with the Diamondbacks and Padres going back and forth for it.

Our expert panel has ranked every team based on a combination of what we've seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts Jesse Rogers, Alden Gonzalez and David Schoenfield to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.

Week 23 | Second-half preview | Preseason rankings

1. Milwaukee Brewers

Record:91-56

Previous ranking:1

Jacob Misiorowski took back the Cy Young conversation after striking out nine over 6 innings in his latest start Tuesday. His ERA dropped to 1.95 after giving up a first-inning run to the Cubs. He remains the only NL pitcher with an ERA under 2.00. Braves lefty Chris Sale is putting up a late challenge, but between Miz's lower ERA, innings lead and strikeout totals, it's still his to lose. Misiorowski passed 1,000 pitches of 100 mph or more on the season -- an enormous and unheard of total. -- Rogers

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Record:89-57

Previous ranking:2

Shohei Ohtani acknowledged Monday that he's "most likely" not going to pitch again this season, adding that he is "focusing on hitting moving forward." He's clearly not healthy -- manager Dave Roberts announced Wednesday that Ohtani was going on the injured list. He's dealing with pain in his left knee and right biceps, and though those ailments have mostly affected him on the mound, he acknowledged that he's going to have to work through them offensively, too. Instead, the Dodgers will load-manage him for the foreseeable future. Ohtani has just seven hits and 22 strikeouts over his last 54 at-bats -- but the Dodgers are on a seven-game winning streak nonetheless.-- Gonzalez

3. Tampa Bay Rays

Record:87-58

Previous ranking:4

A key to the Rays' season has been their success in one-run and extra-inning games: 21-14 in one-run games and 8-6 in extra-inning games. Saturday's 6-3 win over the Rangers in 10 innings came courtesy of Jonathan Aranda's three-run homer -- after Yandy Diaz had been intentionally walked. Aranda has slumped in the second half, but three straight two-hit games in September might get him going again alongside Diaz and Junior Caminero as the big three continue to carry the Tampa Bay lineup. -- Schoenfield

4. Atlanta Braves

Record:85-61

Previous ranking:3

The Braves and Phillies split their crucial four-game series, as the boos that Phillies fans directed all series to Ronald Acuña Jr. turned into the biggest news. Acuña hit a tying home run in the eighth inning Sunday as the Braves rallied for a 5-4 victory -- and took his time admiring the home run, which came off a 100.5-mph fastball from Alex McFarlane. Acuña then gave himself a curtain call when he stepped out of the dugout and waved at the fans. "I love the fans from Philly because they boo me," Acuña said. "So, that's motivation." -- Schoenfield

5. New York Yankees

Record:83-62

Previous ranking:6

Aaron Judge returned Tuesday after missing 100 days due to a right rib stress fracture, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and playing six innings in right field before Heliot Ramos replaced him. Manager Aaron Boone slotted Judge in the No. 3 spot in the lineup between lefties Cody Bellinger and Luis Garcia Jr. In Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Rockies, Cam Schlittler allowed one run in seven innings while striking out 10, keeping up his Cy Young pace. He has allowed one run or no runs in 20 starts, most in the majors in 2026 -- and already the most in one season in Yankees franchise history. -- Schoenfield

6. Philadelphia Phillies

Record:82-64

Previous ranking:7

The Phillies were unable to make up ground on the Braves, splitting their four-game series. Jesus Luzardo salvaged the split with a brilliant 1-0 shutout on Monday, allowing just two hits with one walk and 12 strikeouts. Luzardo's game score of 94 was tied for the second highest in the majors this season (behind Misiorowski's 100 against the Phillies) and was the highest by a Phillies starter since Vince Velasquez spun a 97 in 2016 when he fanned 16. Luzardo is 8-1 with a 1.66 ERA since the beginning of July, and the Phillies have won his past seven starts. -- Schoenfield

7. Chicago Cubs

Record:81-66

Previous ranking:5

If the Cubs have an Achilles heel going into the postseason, it's their bullpen. It resulted in several late-inning losses in the second half, including Monday's and Tuesday's defeats to the Brewers. Manager Craig Counsell doesn't have that guy he can lean on to get righties and lefties out at any time in the game. It means mixing and matching the other team's lineup, which isn't easy with the three-batter minimum rule. Chicago's bullpen has been OK at times through injuries but needs to be great for the Cubs to win a World Series. It remains to be seen if it can get there. -- Rogers

8. Boston Red Sox

Record:80-67

Previous ranking:8

Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray pitched back-to-back gems as the Red Sox tossed consecutive shutouts against the Orioles as part of a four-game Labor Day sweep. Suarez allowed five hits in seven scoreless frames -- his eighth scoreless start of 2026. Gray followed with three hits in his seven scoreless innings to run his record to 17-4 with a 2.69 ERA, which means he's headed for another high Cy Young finish. Gray finished third way in 2015 with the A's and then second with the Twins in 2023. -- Schoenfield

9. San Diego Padres

Record:78-68

Previous ranking:9

Nick Pivetta returned from a nearly four-month hiatus on Monday and fired five scoreless innings against the Nationals, providing a major boost to the Padres' consistently needy rotation. But his rehabbing teammate, Joe Musgrove, had another setback in his return from Tommy John surgery, which he had in October 2024. Musgrove had initially hoped to be back in the Padres' rotation by Opening Day of this season. Now, it's clear he won't be a traditional starter in time for the playoffs. The Padres are experimenting with the possibility of short starts or a bullpen role, but it's not ideal. As Musgrove told reporters recently: "I'm running out of answers." -- Gonzalez

10. Arizona Diamondbacks

Record:78-69

Previous ranking:11

Corbin Burnes made his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery and pitched three scoreless innings against the Royals on Tuesday. Not a prolonged start, of course, but the important thing is that he's back for the stretch run, and he'll keep building from there. The following day, Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka returned, as well, pitching in tandem and combining for five runs allowed (four earned) in 7 innings. The D-backs have won five of their last six, keeping pace with the Padres -- who they'll face in the final series of the regular season -- for the final wild-card spot in the NL. Arizona's reinforcements are right on time. -- Gonzalez

11. Chicago White Sox

Record:75-70

Previous ranking:10

The White Sox have three 30-home-run hitters in their lineup this year in Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas, all of whom are still in their mid-20s. That doesn't include another young cornerstone player who has been arguably better than all of them: Tristan Peters, the 26-year-old center fielder who has been worth 4.4 bWAR and slashed a whopping .320/.414/.640 in August. And while Murakami, Montgomery and Vargas were all heralded coming in, Peters was acquired in a minor trade after being designated for assignment by the Rays in December. He -- like the rest of his team -- has evolved into one of the season's best stories. -- Gonzalez

12. Houston Astros

Record:74-72

Previous ranking:13

It's looking more and more like the Astros will return to the postseason after a disastrous start. MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez is a big reason why, but lately they've gotten a boost from righty Hayden Wesneski, who returned from Tommy John surgery in early August. He has looked better with each start. He followed a gem against the White Sox last week with another stellar outing against the Phillies on Tuesday. That's two playoff-bound teams. Wesneski was acquired from the Cubs for Kyle Tucker but wasn't the centerpiece of the trade. Maybe he will be. -- Rogers

13. Cleveland Guardians

Record:74-73

Previous ranking:12

The Guardians have been basically a .500 team for a little over two months. And in recent weeks, they've stayed afloat -- for a division title and a wild-card spot -- because their two star rookies have carried them. Parker Messick has put up a 2.38 ERA in seven starts since the start of August, striking out 51 batters in 41 innings. In that same stretch, Chase DeLauter is slashing .359/.426/.563. He missed five games with a sprain in his right wrist before returning on Wednesday and hitting a home run. -- Gonzalez

14. Toronto Blue Jays

Record:73-74

Previous ranking:17

Louis Varland is having one of the best relief seasons in franchise history, ranking tied for fifth with 3.3 WAR, first in ERA (minimum 50 innings) and could end up second in saves behind Duane Ward's 45 for Toronto in 1993, even though Varland didn't become the closer until April 21. The best season? It's hard to beat Mark Eichhorn's remarkable 1986 season when he pitched 157 innings and posted a 1.72 ERA, good for 7.3 WAR, the third highest for a full-time reliever. -- Schoenfield

15. Pittsburgh Pirates

Record:73-73

Previous ranking:18

Mason Montgomery continues to impress out of the bullpen for Pittsburgh. He hasn't given up a run since late July while striking out at least one batter in every appearance since mid-June except three of them. Speaking of saves, Montgomery has earned 10 while compiling an ERA well under 3.00. His sinker/slider combo is deadly -- not to mention his four-seamer, which isn't hit often. The Pirates have a good foundation for next year -- and it includes Montgomery. -- Rogers

16. Texas Rangers

Record:72-74

Previous ranking:16

The Rangers are keeping themselves in the race in a mediocre AL West, but their bullpen did them no favors last week. It posted a 5.65 ERA over the course of six games, fourth worst in MLB over that stretch. Kumar Rocker had a lot to do with bringing those pen numbers down as he gave up five runs in five innings in a bad loss to Tampa Bay on Friday. He's been emblematic of the Rangers' up-and-down season. In some moments, Rocker has looked great -- but too many times, he hasn't given his team a chance to win. -- Rogers

17. Miami Marlins

Record:72-75

Previous ranking:15

With the Marlins barely hanging on in the wild-card race, they're willing to do anything down the stretch -- including using Sandy Alcantara in relief. He headed down to the bullpen late in Sunday's game against the Cubs, where he was ready to pitch on his usual bullpen day between starts. The Marlins pulled away for a 10-3 win, so he wasn't needed. In general, though, the Marlins just haven't been able to rediscover their June magic, when they went 20-6. Eury Perez is included in those struggles, as he allowed seven runs and 10 hits in four innings Monday, his third straight poor start. -- Schoenfield

18. St. Louis Cardinals

Record:72-75

Previous ranking:19

Ivan Herrera is red hot. He was 11-for-28 over the course of six games last week, showing once again he can be one of the better-hitting catchers in the league when healthy. Keeping him fresh at DH helps as well, as he has only caught 50 games this year. This is his third consecutive season proving he can hit in the majors, and though his OPS is down a little, his fWAR has gone up each year. At 26 years old, he still might have room to grow. The Cardinals have a solid foundation after their mini retool, and Herrera is one bright spot to come out of it. -- Rogers

19. Baltimore Orioles

Record:71-76

Previous ranking:14

With Pete Alonsobattling Yordan Alvarez and Caminero for the AL lead in RBIs, he has a chance to become the first Orioles player to lead in the category since Chris Davis in 2013. Alonso had a huge August, hitting .333 with nine home runs and 22 RBIs. Unfortunately, he and the rest of the offense did little in losing four games at home over the weekend to the Red Sox, scoring just six runs and getting shut out twice. Only the Twins and Dodgers have been shut out fewer times. It was bad timing for a slump, as the O's were knocking on the door for a wild card. -- Schoenfield

20. Minnesota Twins

Record:69-77

Previous ranking:20

The Twins went into August with aspirations of contending for a playoff spot in a diluted AL, but instead they went 10-17 and entered September 3 games back of the final wild-card spot with four teams ahead of them. They've been basically treading water ever since, which is not helpful. Byron Buxton has still not played since Aug. 25 while dealing with a troublesome right hip. Manager Derek Shelton acknowledged recently that Buxton is going to need offseason surgery to address it, but he would still like to play before the regular season wraps. It's hard to see the Twins making up any meaningful ground without him. -- Gonzalez

21. Cincinnati Reds

Record:69-77

Previous ranking:24

It's Elly De La Cruz's world, we're just living in it. He wowed the league on Tuesday, hitting a home run and then throwing Teoscar Hernandez out at the plate with a 105 mph rocket from shallow centerfield. It's another display of an off-the-charts skill set. Once again, he's having a solid season as he's settled into a 25-home-run, 25-stolen-base type of player -- though, he'll probably reach 30/30 this season. De La Cruz might not steal 67 bases again like he did in 2024, but that ability is always there if a base needs to be swiped in a key spot. He has turned into a reliable -- and sometimes spectacular -- player. -- Rogers

22. Seattle Mariners

Record:68-78

Previous ranking:22

Seattle lost all hope for the postseason after dropping the first three games of a home series to the lowly A's over the weekend -- and giving up 20 runs in the process. It was as bad as it gets for the Mariners, who were one win away from their first World Series appearance last year. This season's most underachieving team used to be known for a vaunted pitching staff. It is a shell of itself, posting a team ERA in the bottom half of the league while playing in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. A wholly disappointing finish to a terrible year. -- Rogers

23. Detroit Tigers

Record:67-79

Previous ranking:23

President of baseball operations Scott Harris stressed after the Tarik Skubal trade that his team is still very much in contention for a playoff spot, a reality that prompted him to keep a few other veteran players. Since the trade deadline, though, the Tigers are 13-21, one of the worst records in baseball over that stretch. On Aug. 3, they were just 2 games out of a playoff spot. Now, they are 6 back. The Skubal trade might have been prudent, but it clearly also deflated the room. Detroit's starting pitching has actually held up, but the offense has been atrocious. -- Gonzalez

24. Washington Nationals

Record:67-81

Previous ranking:21

The Nationals lost all three games in L.A. against the Dodgers, continuing their seasonlong struggles against the best teams in the NL. They finished 0-6 against the Dodgers, 4-9 against the Braves and 3-8 against the Phillies, with two games left. Washington did go 4-2 against the Brewers and 3-3 against the Cubs. It also went a combined 1-5 against the Rays and Yankees, the AL's top two teams, so that's 15-33 against the top seven teams in the majors. -- Schoenfield

25. New York Mets

Record:68-78

Previous ranking:25

Jonah Tong had been projected to be a key member of the Mets' rotation after debuting in 2025 but has spent most of the season in Triple-A, where he has struggled with walks (59 in 107 innings) and home runs allowed (22). He made his first start for the Mets on Monday and got the win over the Marlins as he fanned seven in five innings, although he did allow four runs, including a three-run homer. Tong had been pitching better at Syracuse, allowing no runs or one run in six of his seven starts before getting called up. He will remain in the Mets' rotation the remainder of the season. -- Schoenfield

26. Kansas City Royals

Record:65-82

Previous ranking:26

Michael Wacha is in his 14th major league season, and, at age 35, he has set a new career high in innings. He got to an AL-leading 182 after throwing six scoreless innings against the D-backs on Tuesday. It went for his 20th quality start in 2026. His 3.25 ERA is his lowest since he joined the Royals in 2024. Wacha is still under contract through 2027, with the Royals having the option to also keep him in 2028. They could have received a nice haul for him at the trade deadline, but the hope is that Wacha helps anchor a contender in 2027. -- Gonzalez

27. San Francisco Giants

Record:62-85

Previous ranking:27

Bryce Eldridge hit an opposite-field home run off Cardinals leftyQuinn Mathewsin the first inning of Tuesday's game, the first extra-base hit Mathews had allowed to a left-handed hitter in his sixth major league start. It was Eldridge's first home run since Aug. 8, but the Giants' 21-year-old rookie is slashing .303/.387/.484 since the start of August. Rafael Devers, meanwhile, is slashing .293/.401/.654 in that stretch, good for a major league-best 1.055 OPS. The Giants will have a lot to sort through over the offseason, but they can at least feel good about Devers and Eldridge anchoring the heart of their lineup for years to come. -- Gonzalez

28. Athletics

Record:59-88

Previous ranking:29

Centerfielder Henry Bolte's rookie season is looking even better after a big week at the plate. He went 8-for-21 over a six-game span with three home runs and seven walks. His plate coverage against any pitch is impressive for a veteran, let alone a 23-year-old. Bolte has gotten better as the year has progressed, a good sign for a young player who the league is learning. His second-half OPS mark would rank in the top 40, as he's a rare bright spot for the A's considering their second-half swoon. -- Rogers

29. Colorado Rockies

Record:55-90

Previous ranking:30

The Rockies' pitching staff has been a disaster once again this year,ranking dead last in the majors in ERA. But their offense has been good enough to rank tied for fourth in OPS. More importantly, it has shown that it can adapt to its unique environments. The Rockies have actually hit more home runs on the road (84) than they have at home (77) this season. They're averaging 5.1 runs at Coors Field, but a respectable 4.3 away from it. It has long been said that the mile-high altitude isn't just difficult on pitchers; the back and forth is also hard on hitters. It seems the Rockies have taken steps to mitigate that this season. -- Gonzalez

30. Los Angeles Angels

Record:56-90

Previous ranking:28

Reid Detmers continues to be a huge bright spot for the Angels, who wouldn't budge off a high asking price to move him at the trade deadline. It was well justified considering he owns one of the lowest second-half ERAs in MLB. In fact, Detmers hasn't given up more than one earned run in a game since Aug. 5. His latest gem included holding the Yankees to just one run. His off-speed stuff is nearly unhittable, and he rarely walks more than one batter a game. It's all added up to a breakout season that hasn't slowed as his innings have accumulated. -- Rogers

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