MLB Power Rankings: Red Sox on fire, Blue Jays collapsing

Welcome to the seventh edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2024 regular season. The last edition was published June 10.

1. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies were struck a tough blow when they lost J.T. Realmuto to a knee injury, but they've since welcomed back Trea Turner - and he doesn't appear to have missed a beat. Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, and Alec Bohm are a combined 38-for-95 (.400) with 10 homers in the last week.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Both Mookie Betts (fractured wrist) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (strained rotator cuff) landed on the Dodgers' IL as a result of significant injuries suffered within 24 hours of each other. Luckily, Los Angeles owns an 8.5-game divisional lead, and both are expected back before the playoffs. Shohei Ohtani's picked up the slack in Betts' absence, hitting .458/.567/1.083 with four home runs and three doubles in six games since moving to the leadoff spot.

3. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles flexed their muscles to win series over the Braves, Phillies, and Yankees, only to fall flat while being swept in Houston over the weekend. Even the best teams can stub their toes every once in a while, so nobody in Baltimore should be too worried, even though the Orioles missed a great chance to narrow the gap again on New York.

4. Cleveland Guardians

Steven Kwan is slashing an absurd .463/.526/.731 with an 10.4% walk rate and a microscopic 6.5% strikeout rate since returning from the IL on May 31. It's time to start thinking about Kwan as more than a table-setter for José Ramirez and Josh Naylor; he's blossoming into a potent bat capable of doing serious damage.

5. New York Yankees

A few weeks removed from looking like world-beaters, New York is now struggling against tough opposition. Gerrit Cole pitched acceptably in his long-awaited return from the IL, but blow-up outings from Luis Gil and Carlos Rodón - against the Orioles and Braves, respectively - have put the Yankees' pitching under the microscope. New York's been outscored 57-32 over its last eight outings.

6. Atlanta Braves

Whether you want to credit new dugout mascot "Snitbear" or Jarred Kelenic thriving as the leadoff hitter, Atlanta appears to be getting back on track, winning eight of its last 10. The Braves took two of three from the Yankees in New York thanks in part to excellent outings from Max Fried and Chris Sale, both of whom dazzle on a nightly basis.

7. Minnesota Twins

The Twins have caught fire again, and Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis are leading the way. This is exactly the type of production the front office was hoping for from them. Lewis has turned into Barry Bonds since coming off the IL, hitting seven homers and a 1.238 OPS over the last 13 contests. Meanwhile, Correa is slashing .441/.492/.644 over his last 14 outings.

8. Milwaukee Brewers

Willy Adames is setting himself up for a nice payday this winter. The impending free agent leads NL shortstops with 13 home runs and is second in fWAR at the position behind Mookie Betts. Adames has been the Brewers' offensive leader of late, too, hitting .277/.407/.553 with four home runs - as many as Christian Yelich, William Contreras, and Brice Turang combined - over the last two weeks.

9. Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are playing some of their best baseball in years. Jarren Duran's breakout campaign has been a great story, and he could very well represent the team at the All-Star Game. The 27-year-old is hitting .384/.443/.640 this month and leads MLB with 10 triples. David Hamilton has also benefited from all of Boston's injuries: He has 16 stolen bases and a .782 OPS over the last month.

10. Seattle Mariners

Seattle's opened up a six-game lead atop the AL West almost solely on the back of its pitching. But can the team keep this up if its bats stay silent? Cal Raleigh is the Mariners' only player with more than 10 homers, and Julio Rodríguez continues to struggle, hitting .233/.292/.350 over his last 15 games. They can't get complacent in first place given their offensive struggles.

11. Kansas City Royals

For the first time since early April, the Royals are not in a playoff spot. Kansas City dropped a half-game out of the final AL wild-card berth after being swept by Texas over the weekend and is now 7-13 in June. The Royals aren't in the worst position, but they also have to right this ship quickly - ideally before this weekend's critical four-game set against Cleveland.

12. San Diego Padres

Where would the Padres be without Jackson Merrill? The rookie outfielder leads the club in June in home runs (7), RBIs (13), doubles (5), and slugging (.649). Merrill's contributions have helped offset Luis Arraez's struggles at the plate. After batting .398 in his first 24 games with San Diego, Arraez is just 22-for-90 (.244) this month with four extra-base hits.

13. Houston Astros

Ronel Blanco has been Houston's savior in the rotation. The right-hander's gone from a complete unknown to a legitimate All-Star overnight. Blanco, who threw a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays in April, owns a 2.34 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He'll be front and center as the Astros - now only four games out of a playoff spot - make their move over the next few weeks.

14. Arizona Diamondbacks

The only consistent thing about the Diamondbacks has been their ability to hover around the .500 mark. Joc Pederson, however, has found his swing over the last two weeks. The veteran slugger has hit .343/.429/.629 with three home runs and 13 RBIs over his last 12 games, providing some much-needed thump in the middle of the lineup.

15. New York Mets

A purple milkshake-loving creature officially saved the Mets' season. No, not Steve Cohen. New York's gone 9-2 since Grimace threw out the first pitch at Citi Field, and have MLB's best record (13-6) in June. The players have done their part, too: J.D. Martinez is hitting .309/.413/.574 this month, while Pete Alonso (.890 OPS), Francisco Lindor (.846), and Brandon Nimmo (.925) have also been excellent in June. We're guessing the Hamburglar is to blame for Edwin Díaz's failed substance check.

16. St. Louis Cardinals

Sonny Gray has been everything the Cardinals hoped for when they gave him a three-year, $75-million deal in November. In Sunday's gem, he took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the San Francisco Giants, lowering his ERA to 2.81 and WHIP to 0.95. He's helped propel the Cardinals, who are missing their best hitter in Willson Contreras, above .500 and into a wild-card spot, a place where few outside St. Louis expected to find them.

17. Texas Rangers

Max Scherzer's back, and he pitched the reigning champions to their first sweep of the season in his 2024 debut Sunday. It couldn't have come at a better time for the Rangers, who are struggling to stay at .500. A healthy Scherzer should make a big difference for them over the next few very important weeks against some tough opponents.

18. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds appeared to be on the cusp of a true hot streak before stumbling. Elly De La Cruz has looked better of late, posting a 164 wRC+ with six extra-base hits over the last two weeks. He'll still need to cut down his staggering 31.5% strikeout rate if he wants to carry the Reds back into the playoff conversation.

19. Washington Nationals

The young Nats have been playing very good baseball in June, pulling to within a game of a playoff spot. CJ Abrams is hitting like a franchise cornerstone, while young pitchers Jake Irvin, MacKenzie Gore, and Mitchell Parker have all taken enormous steps. If nothing else, the Nationals have proven they're a hungry young club who won't go away quietly.

20. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates desperately need an impact bat. Bryan Reynolds can only do so much when Ke'Bryan Hayes, Rowdy Tellez, and Jack Suwinski are all slugging under .310 on the season. Oneil Cruz has been good for the occasional missile into the Allegheny River, but he's also struggled to find any sort of prolonged consistency at the plate. Pittsburgh needs to add at the deadline if it wants to support its exciting young pitchers.

21. Tampa Bay Rays

Yandy Díaz appears to be rediscovering the form that won him last year's AL batting title, hitting .341 since June 1 atop the Rays lineup. Oft-injured Brandon Lowe also appeared to be finding his footing with four home runs and 14 RBIs in June before suffering a broken toe on a hit-by-pitch in Saturday's game against the Pirates. The Rays may finally be out of magic.

22. San Francisco Giants

Don't let the Giants being three games out of a playoff berth fool you: they're in trouble. San Francisco's lost five straight and seven of nine, while its run differential is now third-worst in the NL, ahead of only the Marlins and Rockies. The upcoming two-week stretch against the Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, and Guardians will probably determine the Giants' fate.

23. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have been incredibly mediocre. After going 17-10 in April, Chicago's gone 19-29 over the last two months and hasn't held a winning record since May 28. Its offense has been one of the main culprits, as the club ranks 22nd in runs scored this month. Rookie Michael Busch (.811 OPS) is the only qualified player on the team with an OPS over .800.

24. Detroit Tigers

Detroit is slipping in the competitive AL Central, failing to keep up with the powerful Guardians and surprise Royals. 2020 first overall pick Spencer Torkelson regressing to the point of being demoted to Triple-A is incredibly disappointing, especially coming off a 31-home run campaign in 2023. His face-of-the-franchise potential is very much in doubt. He entered Sunday hitting .250/.338/.359 with one home run and 18 strikeouts in 16 games with Toledo.

25. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays' season is on the brink of disaster. Toronto's lost six straight games, got swept in back-to-back series for the first time since 2019, and now sits 6.5 games out of the final wild-card spot with six teams ahead of them. George Springer ranks second-last in OPS (.567) among 148 qualified hitters. Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi have allowed 19 home runs this month. If that's not bad enough, top prospect Orelvis Martinez received an 80-game suspension for PEDs five days after being called up.

26. Los Angeles Angels

Closer Carlos Estévez and center fielder Kevin Pillar should bring the free-falling Angels back something at the deadline. Estévez, 31, has issued just three walks in 24 innings along with 14 saves and a 0.83 WHIP. Pillar, meanwhile, is one of the best stories of the year, hitting .321/.372/.563 in 34 games for L.A. after being DFA'd by the White Sox in April.

27. Oakland Athletics

JJ Bleday is one of the few bright spots for the A's in this lost season. The former fourth overall pick is breaking out to the tune of a .253/.336/.467 line along with 11 homers and an AL-leading 22 doubles. He's giving Oakland fans something to root for during the dog days of a truly forgetful campaign.

28. Miami Marlins

Three straight walk-off wins earlier this week provided what might be the lone highlight of 2024 for the Marlins. Starters Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett are now on the IL, they've been shut out nine times in their first 77 games, and only one of their regular position players sports an on-base percentage above .320. This is somehow going to get even worse before it gets better.

29. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are supposed to be able to count on offense no matter what thanks to Denver's thin mountain air. And yet their minus-124 run differential is the worst in the NL. Colorado couldn't even get Kyle Freeland a second run after he threw six innings of one-hit shutout ball at Coors Field on Sunday - a clear sign that this team is broken.

30. Chicago White Sox

Whether Chicago chooses to keep him or trade him to fast-track the ongoing rebuild, there's no doubt Garrett Crochet is a star. The 25-year-old has posted a 3.25 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 124 strikeouts across 88 2/3 innings in his first season as a starting pitcher - his 12.6 K/9 leads all of MLB. Acquiring his services should cost a true king's ransom.