Tampa Bay Rays Wrongfully Dropped in MLB Power Rankings Despite Success

The Tampa Bay Rays were wrongfully dropped a couple of spots in the recent MLB power rankings

Apr 26, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Yandy Díaz (2) reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the third inning at Tropicana Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have been off to a really strong start to the campaign and are right in the mix for the American League East with the New York Yankees. 

Coming into the season, the Rays were a team that was hoping to be a contender after missing the playoffs for the last two years. Tampa Bay made a plethora of changes this winter, and it was a bit hard to predict what they would be. 

With April coming to an end, the team should be pleased with how they have done so far. Tampa Bay currently has a 16-11 record, and being in second place in the AL East at this point is a great accomplishment. 

It has been a nice mix, and the Rays appear to be well-rounded right now. The offense has been able to exceed expectations, and they have been able to survive the bullpen having a ton of injuries. Despite the success, Tampa Bay surprisingly saw their ranking around the league take a little bit of a hit. 

Will Leitch of MLB recently released his power rankings, for the Rays, despite being in the Top 10 last week and having a 4-2 week, Tampa Bay was dropped from 10th to 12th. 

Rays Wrongfully Dropped

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Griffin Jax | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Seeing Tampa Bay drop two spots is very surprising considering that they went 4-2 this week. To begin the week, the Rays faced off with the Cincinnati Reds in a series between two very talented teams to start the campaign. The Reds might have got the best of them by winning two out of three games, but the Rays bounced back nicely. 

At home against the Minnesota Twins, the team was able to bounce back nicely and sweep the Twins. Landing their third sweep already of the season, the Rays have shown an ability to be a contender, and their drop was surprising. 

There were a few teams that jumped them in the rankings, one of which was the Cleveland Guardians. This will be the team that the Rays will be visiting starting on Monday. 

Following their matchup against the Guardians, the team will be back at home hosting the San Francisco Giants, and they will have an opportunity to continue to stack up wins. Overall, Tampa Bay should be really pleased with how they have performed so far this season, and the team has proven to be a contender early on.