Worldwide Sports News

Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, the Dodgers reclaim the top spot, Riley Greene makes history, PCA drives a Brewers fan into madness, the Royals find their power stroke against the Orioles, Lance McCullers Jr. returns to the majors, speedster Chandler Simpson is as advertised, and the White Sox win the hearts of 90's kids everywhere.

Let’s get started!

(Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook)

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Lucas Giolito and Tyler Stephenson return to action

Eric Samulski breaks down some of the top waiver wire adds for the upcoming week of fantasy baseball.

• Eric Samulski,

• Eric Samulski,

1) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬆️

Last week: 2

The Dodgers are back on top, even after seeing their seven-game winning streak snapped on Sunday night against the Braves. Los Angeles scored seven runs or more in six out of the seven games on their win streak. Early-season sensation Tommy Edman is out with a right ankle injury, but now we'll get a chance to see what offseason acquisition Hyeseong Kim can do against major league pitching.

2) San Diego Padres ⬆️

Last week: 4

The Padres are also rolling, as they’ll bring a five-game winning streak into Yankee Stadium on Monday. Fernando Tatís Jr. had quite the scare when he was hit in the forearm by a pitch on Friday, but he was right back in the lineup on Saturday and pulled off an aggressive and heads-up baserunning play to help the Padres to a win.

3) New York Mets ⬇️

Last week: 1

The Mets have lost four of five, including a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Cardinals on Sunday. Bullpen issues are beginning to manifest, including injuries to left-handers A.J. Minter and Danny Young over the past week.

4) Detroit Tigers ⬆️

Last week: 5

The Tigers rebounded from losing two out of three to the Astros by winning three out of four from the lowly Angels. We love history around here, especially of the quirky variety, which is why we have to call out Riley Greene becoming the first player to hit two home runs in the ninth inning of a game.

5) Chicago Cubs ⬆️

Last week: 7

The Cubs’ buzzsaw of an offense is driving some to the point of madness. To illustrate, watch this dejected Brewers fan react to the latest home run from Pete Crow-Armstrong.

P.S. - Imagine how Mets are feeling about PCA these days? Actually, I don’t have to imagine. I’ll tell you. It stinks.

6) San Francisco Giants ⬇️

Last week: 3

The Giants are a bit topsy-turvy of late, but veteran left-hander Robbie Ray has been steady presence in the rotation so far. After making his return from Tommy John surgery last year, the 33-year-old has posted a 3.05 ERA through his first seven starts this season.

7) Seattle Mariners ⬆️

Last week: 8

The Mariners’ offense has been one of the league’s best in recent weeks and George Kirby is hitting 98 mph in rehab games. While Logan Gilbert’s status is TBD, things are mostly looking up here.

8) New York Yankees ⬇️

Last week: 6

I’m sorry to report that Aaron Judge is in a slump. After managing just one hit on Sunday against the Rays, his batting average has cratered to .423 for the season.

9) Philadelphia Phillies ⬆️

Last week: 11

Bryce Harper finally snapped his 13-game homerless drought on Sunday, but Alec Bohm is still searching for his first home run of the season.

10) Cleveland Guardians ⬇️

Last week: 9

Speaking of home runs, Jhonkensy Noel hit one of the longest blasts of the season last week.

11) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬆️

Last week: 12

After inking a six-year, $210 million contract with the Diamondbacks over the winter, Corbin Burnes has had his next start pushed back to some inflammation in his right shoulder. Time will tell if it’s something of long-term concern, but there have been some indications that he’s not quite right. While Burnes holds a decent-enough 3.58 ERA through six starts, he’s posted an underwhelming 28/17 K/BB ratio in 32 2/3 innings.

12) Kansas City Royals ⬆️

Last week: 17

The Royals had an MLB-low 15 home runs through their first 33 games this season, but they mashed 10 homers between Saturday and Sunday against the Orioles, including a new franchise record with seven in the latter. The question is how much this power surge was about a breakthrough for KC’s bats versus the woeful state of Baltimore’s pitching staff.

13) Boston Red Sox

Last week: 13

A tough week for the Red Sox where they blew three saves and saw first baseman Triston Casas go down with a ruptured patella tendon. At least Garrett Crochet managed to avoid disaster with this comebacker on Sunday?

14) Texas Rangers ⬇️

Last week: 10

No AL team has scored fewer runs than the Rangers, who demoted Jake Burger last week and fired offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker on Sunday. Raise your hand if you just learned that offensive coordinator is a thing in baseball too.

15) Atlanta Braves

Last week: 15

Just when you think the Braves are ready to make their move, they stumble a bit. Still, it's been encouraging to see Austin Riley get off to a nice start this season. After seeing his production fall in 2024 before a fractured hand ended his season, he's hitting .292 with eight homers and an .847 OPS through 33 games this year. While the Braves' third baseman is striking out more often this year, he's also barreling balls up at a rate he's never done before.

16) Athletics ⬆️

Last week: 20

A’s fans have had a long wait for Gunnar Hoglund, who was acquired from the Blue Jays as part of the Matt Chapman trade in March of 2022. The southpaw has seen his star fade in recent years, but he’s shown a velocity uptick this season which led to his MLB debut on Friday against the Marlins. The 2021 first-rounder shined with seven strikeouts and no walks over six innings of one-run ball.

17) Houston Astros ⬇️

Last week: 14

A lot of things are possible with AI technology these days, but I promise you this is the real deal. For the first time since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, Lance McCullers Jr. was back on a major league mound on Sunday against the White Sox. The 31-year-old dealt with some control issues, but turned in 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Kudos to McCullers’ perseverance.

18) Cincinnati Reds ⬇️

Last week: 16

From All-Star closer to Triple-A in the span of two years. That’s the story for Alexis Díaz, who served up three home runs to the Cardinals last Wednesday before being optioned to Louisville. Diaz’s control has always been shaky, but he showed signs of decline last season, particularly in regard to a loss in fastball velocity which has carried over to 2025. Fortunately for the Reds, Emilio Pagán has stepped up in the closer role.

19) Milwaukee Brewers

Last week: 19

The Brewers have struggled to get on a roll this season, but there’s reason for hope. Brandon Woodruff, who is returning from shoulder surgery, pitched into the sixth inning in his most recent rehab start and is currently on track to make his return to the majors around the middle of the month.

20) Tampa Bay Rays

Last week: 19

The Rays took two out of three from the Yankees over the weekend and Chander Simpson’s ridiculous speed was a key factor. For most people, a ground ball to second base is a routine out. For Simpson, it’s just the beginning of an experience.

21) Toronto Blue Jays

Last week: 21

After the Royals’ weekend power display against the Orioles, the Blue Jays now sit last in the majors with 23 home runs. Anthony Santander, who received a five-year, $92.5 million contract this offseason, has struggled with four homers and a .577 OPS.

22) Washington Nationals

Last week: 22

The Nationals’ bullpen holds a 6.55 ERA this season. Only the Angels (7.02 ERA) have been worse.

23) St. Louis Cardinals ⬆️

Last week: 24

A nice family saw Nolan Arenado literally fall into their laps on Sunday. It resulted in one of the best baseball photos in recent memory. There's a real choose-your-own-adventure quality to it.

24) Minnesota Twins ⬆️

Last week: 26

Help has arrived for the Twins, as Royce Lewis and Willi Castro were activated from the injured list on Monday. Lewis has been out all season with a hamstring injury. You can’t question the talent with Lewis, but can he finally stay on the field for a sustained period?

25) Baltimore Orioles

Last week: 25

Let’s be real: Some (maybe most?) of the Orioles’ struggles are about poor roster construction and planning, but how much leash does Brandon Hyde have as manager? We're about to find out.

26) Los Angeles Angels ⬇️

Last week: 23

Eight losses in their last nine and missing Mike Trout due to a bone bruise in his surgically-repaired knee. It's just sad, man.

27) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬆️

Last week: 28

Seeing Paul Skenes struggle against the Cubs last week was sort of like when Superman gave up his powers and got beat up in a diner in “Superman II.” How does he respond this week?

28) Miami Marlins ⬇️

Last week: 27

We mentioned Agustín Ramírez as a potential building block for the Marlins in last week’s Power Rankings, but Kyle Stowers is also showing signs of promise. Including a walk-off grand slam against Mason Miller and the A’s on Saturday, Stowers is slashing .321/.387/.541 with six homers and 25 RBI this season.

29) Chicago White Sox

Last week: 29

We can probably stop making City Connect uniforms because the Bulls-inspired White Sox fits will not be topped.

30) Colorado Rockies

Last week: 30

The Rockies won back-to-back games last week! They’ve lost three in a row since then and will host the Tigers and the Padres this week, so that might be the high point for a while.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins have returned third baseman Royce Lewis from his rehab assignment, clearing the way for his season debut after he strained his left hamstring in spring training.

The Twins reinstated both Lewis and multi-position player Willi Castro from the injured list, putting both regulars in play for the start of their three-game series against Baltimore. Castro missed 16 games with a strained right oblique muscle.

Infielders Mickey Gasper and Edouard Julien were sent to Triple-A St. Paul to make room on the roster with the Twins, who are still missing right fielder Matt Wallner (strained left hamstring) and second baseman Luke Keaschall (broken right forearm) with long-term injuries.

Lewis went 4 for 23 with one double in six games with St. Paul, finishing yet another rehabilitation that has defined his young career. The first overall pick in the 2017 draft, Lewis suffered his latest injury on March 16 while running out a ground ball in an exhibition game.

Lewis missed the 2021 season after he tore his right ACL when he slipped on ice at his Texas home during a freak winter storm. He needed reconstructive ACL surgery on the same knee in 2022, after a collision with the wall while making a catch during a brief audition in center field barely two weeks after his major league debut.

He opened the 2023 season on the injured list while still in recovery and debuted that year in late May. Lewis also had IL stints that season with a strained left oblique and a left hamstring strain. In 2024, he played in a career-high 82 games, enduring IL stints for a strained right quadriceps and a right adductor strain.

Ted Williams is the last American Leaguer to hit .400, and there actually are plenty of similarities between him and Aaron Judge.

The one major difference is in the strikeout column, and that’s why Judge highly is unlikely to repeat Williams’ famous feat.

With a .423 batting average through 34 games, Judge leads the major leagues in hitting by a whopping 74 points over New York Yankees teammate Paul Goldschmidt. Judge’s OPS of 1.287 is actually the same number Williams finished with when he hit .406 in 1941. Williams averaged a homer every 12.32 at-bats that year. Judge is hitting one every 11.82 so far this season.

But Williams struck out only 27 times in all of 1941. Judge has already done so 31 times.

Judge has struck out in 20.3% of his plate appearances. In the live ball era, only one player in the AL or NL has even hit .350 with a strikeout rate of at least 20%. That was Manny Ramirez at .351 in 2000.

Still, Judge’s strengths — and his one big weakness — can help us come up with a road map of sorts for aspiring .400 hitters.

Step One: Shrink the sample size.

It’s no accident that all of baseball’s .400 hitters played before the season expanded to 162 games. Smaller samples lead to more extreme stats, and when Williams hit .406 in 1941, he only played in 143 games. George Brett played in 117 games when he hit .390 in 1980. Tony Gwynn topped out at .394 in 1994 — the season that ended in mid-August because of a strike.

No, that doesn’t mean players should try to get injured or miss games for other reasons. But a high walk total is imperative if you want to qualify for the batting title while still keeping your at-bat total reasonably low. Williams had only 456 at-bats in 1941 because he drew 147 walks.

Ichiro Suzuki was a prolific contact hitter who didn’t walk much. He would routinely end up with around 700 at-bats in a season, and it’s extremely hard to sustain a .400 average for that long.

Step Two: Make contact.

This is the problem for Judge and other power hitters of this era. A player who strikes out in 20% of his plate appearances has to hit .500 on the PAs he doesn’t strike out in if he’s going to bat .400 overall. Right now Judge is 55 for 99 when he doesn’t strike out — an extraordinary mark but not one that is likely to last.

Step Three: Ride a BABIP heater.

There’s a lot of luck involved in a player’s batting average on balls in play (BABIP), but there are some ways a hitter can improve it. Hitting line drives is obviously preferable to hitting popups, and speedy players can turn grounders into infield hits, boosting their BABIP — and batting average — that way. George Sisler had a BABIP of .422 in 1922 when he hit .420.

Step Four: Hit homers.

Unfortunately, BABIP numbers like Sisler’s don’t happen much, especially now. The overall BABIP across the major leagues this year is .288. It was over .300 back in 1930 — which happened to be the year Bill Terry became the last National Leaguer to hit .400. Fielders have more success turning balls in play into outs than they did then, but one way to avoid that is to hit a lot of homers. When Rod Carew hit .388 in 1977, he was boosted by a BABIP of .408, but it was also the year he tied his career high with 14 home runs.

Needless to say, there aren’t many players who can combine high walk and home run rates with low strikeouts in a way that adds up to a .400 average. For example, Barry Bonds homered every 6.52 at-bats in 2001 and posted career-best walk (37.6%) and strikeout (6.6%) rates in 2004. His best BABIP was .330 in 2002.

Now let’s imagine he pulled off all those career-best rates in the same season, and let’s give him 600 plate appearances. The rest of the numbers would shake out like this: 226 walks, 40 strikeouts, 374 at-bats, 57 home runs and 148 hits. But that would still only be an average of .396.

One player who could have made a run at .400 but never really did was Wade Boggs, whose highest average was .368. Boggs had a BABIP of .396 in 1985, then posted his one big home run year in 1987 when he hit 24 — one every 22.96 at-bats. In 1988, he struck out in a minuscule 4.7% of his plate appearances while walking in 17.4%.

If we combine those rates into one hypothetical season like we did with Bonds, we end up with: 600 PAs, 104 walks, 28 strikeouts, 496 at-bats, 22 homers and 199 hits. That’s a .401 average.

Line of the week

Jake Meyers went 4 for 4 with two homers and seven RBIs in Houston’s 8-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox. He tied a franchise record with 13 total bases.

Comeback of the week

The Toronto Blue Jays rallied from a 6-0 deficit in the sixth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox 7-6 in 10. Toronto had a 1.6% chance to win in the sixth, according to Baseball Savant.

The Blue Jays actually wiped out the deficit quickly. Daulton Varsho hit a two-run homer in the sixth and Alejandro Kirk followed with a solo shot. Then Anthony Santander tied it with a three-run homer the following inning. Kirk eventually won it with a bases-loaded single in extra innings.