Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, Junior Caminero will never stop hitting home runs, the Cubs are a rollercoaster, the Twins pull off the impossible, and we’re left to wonder what might have been with Eury Pérez.
As a reminder, this article is a combination of current performance and long-term outlook. Before we get started, I wanted to give a huge thanks to my longtime colleague Dave Shovein for filling in last week while I was on vacation. Much appreciated!
Let’s get into it!
▶ Check out Eric Samulski’s SP streamer recommendations for this week!
Note: Rankings are from the morning of Monday, July 6
1) Los Angeles Dodgers
Last week: 1
After toiling for nine seasons in the minor leagues, Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. made his major league debut Sunday against the Padres. However, he did so with a heavy heart after learning that his sister, Eliana, and his stepmother, Patricia, died from the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
Dodgers fans give a standing ovation to Eliezer Alfonzo, who is making his MLB debut on the day it was reported his sister and stepmother were killed by the Venezuelan earthquakes
Sending all our love to the Alfonzo family 💙 pic.twitter.com/vrb9DuzHT7
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 6, 2026
Alfonzo and fellow Venezuelan Miguel Rojas each had tributes written on their caps to honor their memory. There are no words for the strength needed to compose yourself to play in your first major league game under these circumstances. Surely he’s made his sister and stepmother proud.
2) Milwaukee Brewers
Last week: 2
Brandon Woodruff is back on the injured list with shoulder inflammation and it’s difficult to project what can be expected of him moving forward. The Brewers have a six-game lead in the NL Central, but do they need to acquire another starting pitcher before the deadline?
3) Tampa Bay Rays ⬆️
Last week: 5
Junior Caminero appears to be on a mission going into next week’s Home Run Derby. He’s blasted 11 homers in his last 12 games. That’s more than seven teams have hit in the same timespan.
4) Atlanta Braves ⬇️
Last week: 3
The Braves had the worst offense in baseball in the month of June, but the Mets were happy to wake up their bats over the weekend. They’ve scored 29 runs over their last three games. Another good sign: Ronald Acuña Jr. is on the verge of a minor league rehab assignment.
5) Philadelphia Phillies ⬇️
Last week: 4
The Phillies will be well represented at the All-Star Game for their home park next week, as Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, Cristopher Sanchez, and Jhoan Duran were all named to the roster over the weekend. You could argue that Zack Wheeler deserves it too. Now, we wait to hear if Harper and/or Schwarber will compete in the Home Run Derby. To quote Michael Scott, “Just do it.”
6) Chicago Cubs ⬆️
Last week: 7
Nothing sums up the Cubs’ 2026 season more than what we saw on July 2 and 3. After crushing the Padres 23-3, the Cubs got blown out 17-1 by the Cardinals. It’s all quite disorienting, but the Cubs are in a good spot with the first half coming to a close.
7) New York Yankees ⬇️
Last week: 6
It’s one thing to get swept by the Red Sox in a four game series, but losing two out of three to the Twins in Yankee Stadium? Impossible. Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger have gone ice cold, making the absence of Aaron Judge sting just that much more.
8) St. Louis Cardinals ⬆️
Last week: 10
Weighing his contributions on offense and defense, JJ Wetherholt has been one of the best players in MLB this season, but he was left off the National League All-Star roster over the weekend. Maybe that changes at some point over the next few days as players drop out due to injury or other reasons, but Wetherholt clearly has plenty of All-Star Games in his future.
9) Miami Marlins ⬇️
Last week: 8
In an alternate universe, Eury Pérez just threw the 25th perfect game in MLB history. Alas, we’re stuck in this one, where Perez got pulled at 94 pitches across seven perfect frames. It’s a bummer, but the Marlins are thinking long-term here, including designs at a potential playoff run this season. It’s not as crazy as it sounds.
10) Chicago White Sox ⬇️
Last week: 9
Here we are with the White Sox as a legitimate contender for a playoff spot and they get to pick No. 1 overall in Saturday’s MLB Draft. UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, high school shortstop Grady Emerson, and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey are regarded as the top players available in this year’s class. You can watch the entire first round on NBC this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
11) Seattle Mariners ⬆️
Last week: 12
The Mariners have won 10 out of their last 13 games as they start to assert themselves in the AL West. Getting more consistent offense is the big key, but it would be a shocker if they don’t find their way in the top 10 in most weeks moving forward. Let’s hope Julio Rodriguez feels better soon.
12) Cleveland Guardians ⬇️
Last week: 11
In Travis Bazzana and Parker Messick, the Guardians will have two rookies going to the All-Star Game next week. They are the first rookie teammates to be named as All-Stars since Masahiro Tanaka and Dellin Betances pulled it off with the Yankees in 2014.
13) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬆️
Last week: 18
Are you kidding me, Konnor Griffin?!
The newly-installed leadoff man is hitting .306 (11-for-36) since returning from the injured list.
14) Texas Rangers ⬆️
Last week: 15
In typical Rangers fashion, they are unable to stray far from the .500 mark. It’s one of the laws of the universe. Unfortunately, we can probably say the same thing about Corey Seager going on the injured list.
15) Washington Nationals ⬇️
Last week: 14
CJ Abrams and James Wood are All-Stars, but Luis Garcia Jr. continues to be the hottest hitter in this lineup right now. With his recent power surge, Garcia has already established a new career-high in homers and he’s just six RBI away from tying his career-high.
16) Houston Astros
Last week: 16
Believe it or not, the Astros have a chance to reach the .500 mark this week. They are very much alive in the playoff race. It will be interesting to see how active they are via the trade front in the coming weeks.
17) Arizona Diamondbacks
Last week: 17
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. isn’t really known for his defense, but he pulled in one of the best catches of the year on Friday against the Brewers.
18) San Diego Padres ⬇️
Last week: 13
The Padres finally snapped their eight-game losing streak with a win over the Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball, but it’s hard to feel optimistic here given the state of their rotation.
19) Minnesota Twins ⬆️
Last week: 21
And they said it couldn’t be done. The Twins just won their first series against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium since 2014. They caught them at a good time, to be sure, but the Twins continue to hang around in the periphery of a mediocre American League.
20) Toronto Blue Jays ⬇️
Last week: 19
We keep waiting for the Blue Jays to turn things around, but they’ve lost eight out of 10 and were shut out in back-to-back games to finish their series against the Mariners over the weekend.
21) Baltimore Orioles ⬆️
Last week: 23
The Orioles have had one of the better rotations in baseball over the past month, led by Trevor Rogers’ dramatic turnaround. The southpaw ended May with a 6.84 ERA, but he’s reeled off a 1.77 ERA over his last six outings.
22) Cincinnati Reds
Last week: 22
Hunter Greene had a rough return from the injured list on Saturday against the Orioles, but it’s fun to think about what he and Chase Burns can do at the top of this rotation down the stretch.
23) Athletics ⬇️
Last week: 20
The A’s were 38-38 on June 19. They are 3-11 since then, with an all-around team power outage. It’s still very cool that Nick Kurtz will get the start at first base for the All-Star Game after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. bowed out due to a back injury. Kurtz is certainly more deserving this year, anyway.
24) Boston Red Sox ⬆️
Last week: 25
The Red Sox are playing their best baseball of the season, but Ranger Suarez’s adductor/groin injury puts a damper on things. On the heels of being selected to the All-Star team, he could end up needing an IL stint.
25) Detroit Tigers ⬆️
Last week: 26
The Tigers actually have the best record in the American League since the start of June, but they still find themselves 7.5 games back in the AL Central. Can they claw their way up any further to avoid trading away Tarik Skubal?
26) San Francisco Giants ⬆️
Last week: 29
Including his two-homer game against the Rockies over the weekend, Rafael Devers is hitting .319 with nine homers and a 1.166 OPS over his last 19 games. With the trade deadline approaching, he’s reminding teams that he’s a potential difference-maker at the plate.
27) New York Mets
Last week: 27
The Mets find ways to be embarrassing even when they win, as they nearly squandered a massive lead in the ninth inning against the Braves as shown on NBC on Sunday. A change has already been made in the dugout and this roster could look very different a month from now.
28) Colorado Rockies ⬆️
Last week: 30
The MLB Futures Game will air this Sunday on NBC and you’ll want to keep an eye on top prospect Charlie Condon. Selected No. 3 overall by the Rockies in the 2024 Draft, the 23-year-old has mashed 20 homers with a .294/.415/.601 batting line in Triple-A. There’s a very good chance he’s up in the majors in the second half.
29) Kansas City Royals ⬇️
Last week: 28
Symbolic of the injury-plagued season that the Royals have endured, Cole Ragans underwent a UCL repair on his left elbow and is expected to miss the next 10-12 months. It’s the third UCL surgery of his career.
30) Los Angeles Angels ⬇️
Last week: 24
The Angels have lost six straight and now find themselves with the worst record in the majors. Hey, at least Mike Trout is close to returning in advance of the All-Star Game in his backyard next week. This is Trout’s 12th All-Star selection, which places him among a group of Hall of Famers including Wade Boggs, Mike Schmidt, Roberto Clemente, and Frank Robinson, among others.
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