MLB Power Rankings: Phillies grab the top spot, Padres slip as Michael King lands on IL

NBC Sports

3 days ago

Featured in this week's MLB Power Rankings, the red-hot Phillies make their first appearance at the top, Tarik Skubal has his best-ever start, the Padres lose Michael King, Marcelo Mayer loses his car keys, Ronald Acuña Jr. has a flare for the dramatic, and much more.
Let's get started!
(Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook)
James Schiano,
Rankings are from the morning of Tuesday, May 27.
Last week: 6
While the Phillies saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday, their recent heater has carried them to the top of this week's rankings. Trea Turner has been a key part in their ascent, hitting .366 over his last 26 games. The Phillies have gone 20-6 in that time.
Last week: 1
After a couple of uncharacteristic so-so starts, Tarik Skubal had the best outing of his career on Sunday against the Guardians, tossing a two-hitter with 13 strikeouts in just 94 pitches. Yes, that's a Maddux. It was the first complete game of his career and just the fifth shutout across MLB this season. If that wasn't impressive enough, Skubal dialed it up to 103 mph for his final pitch of the ballgame. Pure dominance.
THIRTEEN STRIKEOUTS.
BALLGAME.
TARIK SKUBAL 😤 pic.twitter.com/dBH39aJgp0
Last week: 5
In one of the truly weird and somewhat unbelievable stats, this game-winning homer off the bat of Jasson Dominguez last Wednesday was the first walk-off blast by a Yankees player in 974 days. Giancarlo Stanton was the last to do it on September 20, 2022. With some expected growing pains, Jasson Dominguez has mostly been worth the wait for Yankees fans.
The Martian walks it off 👽#RepBX pic.twitter.com/OWBXbudmis
Last week: 2
With a number of high-profile injuries in their starting rotation, the Dodgers have been topsy-turvy since their red-hot start to the season, but the good news is that Shohei Ohtani is approaching his return to the mound. The Dodgers' dynamo threw 22 pitches over five simulated at-bats on Sunday at Citi Field. According to Sonja Chen of MLB.com, Ohtani sat in the 94-95 mph range with his fastball and topped out at 97 mph. He's likely to make his first start as a member of the Dodgers after the All-Star break.
Last week: 7
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker are getting most of the headlines, but Seiya Suzuki is enjoying his best season stateside. The 30-year-old leads the NL with 49 RBI through 49 games. Keep in mind that he's never driven in more than 74 runs in a season. He's also up to 14 homers after never having hit more than 21 homers. Losing the hot-hitting Miguel Amaya to an oblique injury certainly hurts, but this Cubs' lineup remains a powerhouse.
Last week: 3
Pete Alonso endured the longest home run drought of his career before slugging a go-ahead two-run homer against Tony Gonsolin and the Dodgers on Sunday night. That blast was set up by Juan Soto legging out a ground ball which was mishandled by third baseman Max Muncy. With all the recent commentary on Soto and effort level, it was an especially big moment.
An absolute LASER 🐻‍❄️ pic.twitter.com/uZ7PQ2kmhq
Last week: 8
The Giants might have come back down to Earth in May, but don't blame Robbie Ray. The southpaw spun six innings of one-run ball against the Nationals on Sunday, giving him a 1.41 ERA across five starts this month. He's 7-0 on the year and the Giants are 10-1 in his starts this season.
Last week: 10
As hot as Jorge Polanco was in April, the opposite has been the case in May. He's hitting just .155/.234/.241 with one home run this month.
Last week: 9
While the Twins' offense has been piecemeal at times, the starting rotation has been a true strength. Entering play on Tuesday, the club ranks sixth in the majors with a 3.34 ERA.
Last week: 4
The Padres snapped a six-game losing streak by winning two out of three against the Braves over the weekend, but they also lost their ace Michael King with right shoulder inflammation. The hope is that he won't require an extended absence, but we should learn more about his status soon.
Last week: 12
The Cardinals swept the Diamondbacks over the weekend, with catcher Ivan Herrera driving in a run in all three games. The 24-year-old catcher has picked up where he left off before his left knee bone bruise in April, hitting .365/.435/.500 with one homer, 14 RBI, and an 8/6 K/BB ratio this month.
Last week: 11
Congratulations to Nic Enright, who made his major league debut against the Tigers on Sunday two and a half years after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in December of 2022. In a moment he wasn't sure would ever come, he struck out three batters over two scoreless innings.
"On December 26 I have a port in and I'm sitting there looking at it wondering, am I ever going to be able to throw again?"
A day after his MLB debut, #Guardians RHP Nic Enright spoke about his Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in 2022, and doubting if he'd play baseball again. pic.twitter.com/GwYtYU7G9g
Last week: 15
A statement series for the Astros, who took three out of four from the first-place Mariners over the weekend. They are just 1.5 games out of first place in the AL West despite the struggles from Jose Altuve, Yainer Diaz, and Christian Walker. Walker provided his biggest hit in an Astros uniform with a walk-off blast to cap off the series victory on Sunday.
WALK(ER) - OFF.#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/n6sZvAux3Y
Last week: 13
With the Royals' offense in need to a boost, it's likely just a matter of time before we see Jac Caglianone in the major leagues. The 2025 first-round pick has done nothing but mash since being promoted to Triple-A, including this titanic blast on Sunday. Get ready, Royals fans.
Royals top prospect Jac Caglianone has homered in FOUR straight games in Triple-A
His latest blast traveled 459 feet 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FM73JzxcgO
Last week: 23
The Rays are Ray-ing again. Maybe. After six straight wins, the club has climbed back to the .500 mark for the first time since April 27. Brandon Lowe has homered three times during the win streak and is hitting .396/.442/.771 over his last 32 games.
Last week: 14
Like he never left. Ronald Acuña Jr. announced his return with authority on Friday, homering on the first pitch he saw against Nick Pivetta. It was also the only run of the game for the Braves, who have lost four out of their last five.
Last week: 17
Marcelo Mayer is the latest high-profile prospect to arrive for the Red Sox, as the was the corresponding move with Alex Bregman going down with a significant right quad strain. That's exciting and all, but the saga of Mayer's missing car keys has been the real story. Mayer's keys were reportedly missing for three weeks and he needed a clubhouse attendant to drive him to Fenway Park for his MLB debut. Worry not, though, as his keys were finally found…in Milwaukee.
After three weeks of searching, @WebsterOnTV is happy to report that Marcelo Mayer's car keys have been found… in his pocket 😂 pic.twitter.com/zYsN62Z7VQ
Last week: 16
What's going on with Zac Gallen? After allowing four runs over 5 2/3 innings in a loss to the Cardinals on Friday, the veteran right-hander now holds a 5.25 ERA through 11 starts for the season. Take out his two starts against the Mets (two ER in 13 innings) and his ERA sits at 6.29.
Last week: 22
What does a 1.80 ERA over three starts in May get you? A demotion, apparently. Logan Henderson is headed back to Triple-A despite an impressive and historic start to his major league career. The Brewers deemed it necessary with Jose Quintana and Brandon Woodruff on their way back from the injured list. Either way, odds are it won't be long before Henderson gets his next opportunity.
Last week: 19
Andrew Abbott just keeps getting it done. After allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings in a win over the Cubs on Saturday, the 25-year-old southpaw now holds a 1.77 ERA on the year. He's allowed one earned run or fewer in seven out of his eight starts this season.
Last week: 18
Jacob deGrom failed to strike out a batter for the first time in his career in Monday's start against the Blue Jays. In addition to that, he managed just three swinging strikes in his 81 pitches. This simply does not compute.
Last week: 20
This just about sums up the ups and downs the Blue Jays have navigated so far this season.
Wednesday:
Blue Jays match record for the largest home shutout victory in franchise history,
Sunday:
Blue Jays suffer their 3rd largest road shutout margin of defeat in franchise history
Last week: 25
While the Angels await Mike Trout's return from a knee injury, Taylor Ward has stepped things up in grand fashion this month, including two grand slams during their recent eight-game winning streak. The club has lost three straight since the win streak, of course.
Last week: 24
Cool moment for Keibert Ruiz and his family last Thursday. Ruiz's parents were able to watch him play for the first time as a professional baseball player and he wasted no time in putting on a show.
Keibert Ruiz's parents are watching him play in person in the Major Leagues for the first time.
He doubled in his first at-bat🥹 pic.twitter.com/JqCiue6Y48
Ruiz's parents, who are from Venezuela, were denied travel visas in their previous four attempts before finally getting clearance this month.
Last week: 21
The Athletics were four games over .500 on May 5, but they've gone 3-15 since then, including their recent 11-games losing streak.
Last week: 26
Sandy Alcantara has struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery, but that doesn't mean Marlins fans shouldn't be excited about Eury Pérez as he makes his way back. The 22-year-old struck out seven batters in his most recent rehab start in Triple-A and should find his way back to the major leagues by mid-June. Pérez looked like a future ace when we last saw him in as a 20-year-old rookie in 2023, posting a 3.15 ERA over 19 starts with 108 strikeouts in 91 1/3 innings.
Last week: 27
After tying the MLB record by going 26 straight game with four runs or fewer, the Pirates scored five runs in three out of their next four games. Baseball gonna baseball!
We also can't leave out that Oneil Cruz now has the hardest hit ball in the Statcast Era.
122.9 off the bat 😳
Oneil Cruz sent this baseball for a SWIM pic.twitter.com/1mCWfZb9FP
Last week: 28
Thanks for Dylan Carlson exacting revenge against his former team on Monday, the Orioles have secured their first three-game winning streak of the season. Cue the scene from Lou Brown in 'Major League.'
Last week: 29
It wasn't too long ago that Andrew Vaughn was considered a building block for the White Sox, but he was surprisingly demoted to Triple-A Charlotte last week after beginning this season with a .189/.218/.314 batting line. According to White Sox general manager Chris Getz, the club is hopeful that he'll be able to 'slow down and regain confidence' in a less-pressurized environment.
Last week: 30
The Rockies are currently on pace to go 28-134. There's very little hope that they can avoid a place in baseball infamy. The weirdest thing about the Rockies' struggles are that they are 20th in OPS at home this season; they are usually in the top-tier at Coors Field.