Rays Shockingly Move Up Despite Losing Record in MLB Power Rankings

Should the Tampa Bay Rays have moved up in a recent MLB power rankings?

Aug 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) stands in the dugout in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. | David Richard-Imagn Images

As the Tampa Bay Rays get set to wrap up their road trip over the weekend, the team has surprisingly moved up in recent MLB power rankings. 

Coming off a disappointing campaign in 2025 and a busy winter, the Rays had some high hopes to be better this season. While they made a lot of changes to the roster, the hope was that they would continue to be able to find the balance between being competitive now and building toward the future. 

Tampa Bay is one of the few teams in the league that can accomplish this feat, and the hope is that when their new stadium is completed, they will be able to be competitive from a payroll perspective. 

With it being a challenging start to the season on the road, the team has seen some positives and negatives early on. Some of their key hitters are producing well, but their bullpen has already cost them a couple of games. However, despite a losing record through six games, it isn’t all doom and gloom. 

Buster Olney recently wrote, along with some ESPN contributors, about the Rays’ standing in their most recent power rankings. Despite a poor start to the year, Tampa Bay shockingly moved up in the rankings. 

Rays Moving Up is Shocking

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Despite a 2-4 start to the campaign, Tampa Bay was able to move up three spots in a somewhat shocking move from 21st to 18th. While the initial preseason ranking of 21st might have been a bit low, moving up three spots after losing both of their first two series is shocking. 

While the start to the campaign hasn’t been ideal, the Rays have yet to play a series at home and have started on a nine-game road trip. This was a team that saw the effects of bad scheduling last year when they were displaced from Tropicana Field, and a return home is going to be welcomed. 

As Tampa Bay looks to turn things around in the early part of the season, the upcoming series against the Minnesota Twins will present them with that opportunity. This is a series that the Rays should be able to win, and if they are able to sweep them, it would actually result in the team finishing over the .500 mark on the road trip. While it might be shocking to see the team move up, there is reason to believe that they will be better than their record indicates.