Progress reports are meaningless—at least, that's what we tell ourselves when they come bearing bad news. While not entered into the official record books, where you stand at certain checkpoints says a lot about where you'll eventually end up when they say, "Pencils down." Start off too strong, and you might run out of steam. Wait too long to get going, and you might dig yourself into a hole too deep to get out of.For the 2026 MLB season, we've seen enough to start drawing some conclusions and writing down some marks. In this week's edition of power rankings, it's time to hand out some grades for all 30 clubs for their performances so far relative to preseason expectationsFor some teams, their play to this point has earned well-deserved praise. Others? Well, at least there's still time to turn things around.1. Atlanta Braves (Last: 1)Grade: A+ The Braves are back. Atlanta has MLB’s best record thus far into the season, and it has already built a comfortable lead atop the NL East, sitting nine games up in the division. The Braves have the most home runs in the NL (70) and have the most total bases (760) in the entire league. The team’s .771 OPS is second in MLB behind only the Dodgers. The Braves are 18–8 against teams above .500, and their +98 run differential is tied for first in MLB. Led by NL MVP candidate Matt Olson, Atlanta’s bounce-back season has it looking much more like the team that made seven straight postseason appearances from 2018 to ’24 than the one that missed out in ’25. 2. Tampa Bay Rays (Last: 2)Grade: A+ The Rays have defied expectations all season long and currently sit atop the American League with 33 wins. Our preseason expectations had Tampa as the worst team in the AL East. Instead, they’ve been spectacular, particularly at home, where they own a 19–5 record. The Rays have outscored their opponents by 40 runs, and they’ve held their own against some of MLB’s top teams, going 13–11 against teams above .500. Tampa has been true to its style of play this season, hitting for a high average and running the bases aggressively, despite not having a slew of stars on the roster. It leads the AL with a .261 batting average and has 53 stolen bases, but its 41 home runs are the fourth-fewest in the league, proving that small ball isn’t dead just yet. 3. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last: 6)Grade: BThe Dodgers are leading the NL West and have one of the best records in baseball, yet for some reason, it feels like they have underachieved. I guess that’s what happens when you CBT payroll tops $410 million. L.A. has dealt with key injuries, and Blake Snell has only pitched three innings this season. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker and Will Smith have underperformed at the plate. Max Muncy and Andy Pages have carried the offense, which is something no one expected. It just doesn’t feel like the Dodgers have hit anything close to their stride. 4. New York Yankees (Last: 3)Grade: A-The Yankees have been great to start the season, currently sitting 10 games above .500 and in second place in the AL East. New York has the best run differential in the American League (+69), thanks to their excellent lineup and the outstanding performances from their starting pitchers. Offensively, the Yankees lead MLB with 73 home runs and rank third in the league with a .759 OPS. New York owns MLB’s fourth-best team ERA (3.36) and has allowed the second fewest home runs (39). They’ve struggled to rise to the level of their competition, however, going 1–8 in their nine games against teams above .500.Jacob Misiorowski has been dominant this season, leading all pitchers with 88 strikeouts. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images5. Milwaukee Brewers (Last: 5)Grade: AThe Brewers’ pitching magic is working once again, as their staff is powering the team’s surge up to first place in the NL Central. Milwaukee has allowed the second-fewest runs in the league behind only the Dodgers, and the coaching staff has gotten creative to maintain effectiveness, with 11 different starting pitchers used already. At the top is Jacob Misiorowski, who’s taken a big leap into Cy Young Award contention this season, with a 31.3% K-BB rate that’s easily the best in baseball. Not too far behind him is Kyle Harrison, who’s flourished in his age-24 season, posting a 1.77 ERA in nine starts. The Brewers’ offense might be no better than average, but if the pitching output keeps up this pace, that will be plenty good enough for another division title.6. San Diego Padres (Last: 8)Grade: B-Like the Dodgers, the Padres are a puzzling team given their makeup. They have a +3 run differential but are nine games over .500. San Diego has one of baseball’s worst offenses and it’s the stars that are the problem. Manny Machado has a .603 OPS, while Jackson Merrill is at .595 and Fernando Tatis Jr.’s is .590 and he still hasn’t hit a home run. On the plus side, Mason Miller is virtually unhittable, Michael King looks like an ace and Randy Vásquez has improved tremendously. With Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove out indefinitely, it’s genuinely puzzling how the Padres’ team ERA is only 3.93. It’s been a mixed bag in San Diego.7. Chicago Cubs (Last: 4)Grade: BGetting swept at home by the division rival Brewers knocked a lot of momentum out of what’s largely been a successful season for the Cubs, who have navigated plenty of injuries to their pitching staff to keep pace among the top teams in the sport. The lineup depth has been Chicago’s strength, with nine hitters posting a wRC+ above 100 (minimum 70 plate appearances) and four others who are just short: Alex Bregman (96), Matt Shaw (95), Pete Crow-Armstrong (89) and Dansby Swanson (87). The latter two in particular, alongside second baseman Nico Hoerner, form an elite trio of up-the-middle defenders that has helped the short-handed pitching staff be effective. To elevate into true contender status, the Cubs likely need to add a difference-maker to the rotation, which will be something to monitor as we inch closer to the trade deadline.8. Cleveland Guardians (Last: 10)Grade: AFew teams have made greater strides in any one area year-over-year than the gains Cleveland has made to its offense. After ranking dead last in the American League in runs scored a season ago, the Guardians are up to 10th in that category this year, thanks in large part to the group’s improved plate discipline. Guardians hitters have put up the third-highest walk rate (11.6%) with the third-lowest strikeout rate (19.7%) in 2026 after ranking in the middle of the pack in both categories last year. Chase DeLauter’s emergence has been perhaps the most impactful individual addition from last year, but the improvements by Brayan Rocchio (121 wRC+) and Angel Martinez (124 with nine homers and eight steals) have been just as important.9. Philadelphia Phillies (Last: 15)Grade: CThere have been two different versions of the Phillies this season. The first version limped out of the gate to a 9–19 record, prompting the organization to fire Rob Thomson and replace him with Don Mattingly. Since that change, Philadelphia has come into its own. The team is 16–6 under Mattingly, having completely turned things around in May. This month, they lead the NL with 29 home runs, and their pitching looks refreshed, too, with an NL-best 185 strikeouts. 10. St. Louis Cardinals (Last: 7)Grade: AIn what has felt like the blink of an eye, the Cardinals look to have themselves an enviable young core of position players to build their next playoff contender around. Jordan Walker has been one of the biggest breakout stars so far, while second baseman JJ Wetherholt has been among the most productive rookies in a loaded class of first-year players. Add in Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera, and the Cardinals have hit their way into looking like a sneaky playoff team in a year many expected them to hover around the bottom of the league. If there’s a deal to be made come the trade deadline, expect it to be for some help in the rotation. 11. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last: 9)Grade: B+Thanks to investments in improving their lineup that have largely paid off, the Pirates’ are far more watchable this season than they’ve typically been in recent years, and not just on days when Paul Skenes starts. They’re underperforming their Pythagorean record by two games so far, partially a result of a bullpen that’s blown the second-most saves chances (11) in the majors. But with a starting rotation this talented—one that got another gem on Thursday from Braxton Ashcraft—this looks like a playoff-caliber roster.Corbin Carroll leads the majors with six triples on the season while posting a career-best .942 OPS. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images12. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last: 23)Grade: BNot much was expected of the Diamondbacks this season, but through nearly 50 games, they’re above .500 and look built to be competitive long term this season. Corbin Carroll has been leading from the front, with a .958 OPS while displaying the power-speed combination that should make him a consistent MVP contender. Journeyman Ildemaro Vargas has shocked everyone by slashing .331/.351/.530 to open the season. On the mound, Eduardo Rodriguez (4–1, 2.53 ERA) and Mike Soroka (6–2, 3.49 ERA) are both having big bounce-back years. 13. Cincinnati Reds (Last: 11)Grade: BOn one hand, the Reds look a bit like fool’s gold. They’ve allowed the sixth-most runs in baseball and have a -28 run differential, yet have been above .500 for most of the season (despite an eight-game losing streak earlier this month). They’re 23rd in hitting fWAR and 28th in pitching fWAR, with a .229 team batting average and a 4.73 ERA. On the other, though, they deserve some credit for how they’ve managed to tread water amid significant injuries and underachievements from across the roster: TJ Friedl is hitting .178, while Ke’Bryan Hayes has a wRC+ of 12 (twelve!). Nick Lodolo has made just three starts, which is three more than Hunter Greene, who’s out until at least the All-Star break. The top of the roster—namely Elly De La Cruz, Chase Burns and Sal Stewart, with a surprise breakout from JJ Bleday—has carried the bulk of the weight so far, but they’ll need help for Cincinnati to stay in the hunt much longer.14. Chicago White Sox (Last: 18)Grade: A-It’s rare for a team to emerge so quickly from being the laughingstock of the sport to a legitimate contender, but that’s exactly what these White Sox are doing. A youth movement not only has Chicago looking certain to end its three-year run of 100-plus losses, but good enough to crack the postseason in a wide-open American League field. That this roster could produce several All-Stars after having just one representative at each of the last three Midsummer Classics is a testament to the player development side of the organization, with Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Davis Martin and Munetaka Murakami all having strong cases.15. Athletics (Last: 17)Grade: BThe A’s certainly have plenty of talent, but no one expected them to be leading the AL West this far into the season with the Mariners, Astros and Rangers in their division. Their secret? An offense that is sixth in OPS (.730) and is making up for a pitching staff that ranks 22nd in ERA (4.33). Carlos Cortes (172), Shea Langeliers (168) and Nick Kurtz (157) all feature wRC+ marks over 150. That’s happened while Brent Rooker (82), Tyler Soderstrom (77) and Lawrence Butler (52) have struggled. Given their track records, the latter three should get things going at some point, which will make the team’s offense even more dangerous. If only they could find some pitching.16. Texas Rangers (Last: 16)Grade: CThe Rangers have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and currently rank fifth in ERA (3.51). Their issues lie on the other side of the equation. Texas was hoping its lineup would be better after a down year in 2025, but that hasn’t happened. The Rangers currently rank 28th in runs scored (192) and are 23rd in OPS (.690). Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford are still struggling at the plate, while Jake Burger has also disappointed. In a very winnable AL West, Texas is struggling to get over .500. Given the team’s pitching staff, it should be better than this.17. Washington Nationals (Last: 19)Grade: BThe Nationals are one of MLB’s most interesting case studies. They have one of the best offenses in baseball, while simultaneously sporting the worst pitching staff in the league. Washington has scored the most runs (280) in MLB in ’26, but has also surrendered the most runs in the league (296). Led offensively by James Wood and CJ Abrams, the Nationals have had no problem scoring runs, but keeping opponents off the board has been a totally different story. For a team that was expected to be at the bottom of the barrel in MLB this season, the Nationals have been a pleasant surprise, sitting just one game below .500.18. Seattle Mariners (Last: 12)Grade: DSeattle was supposed to contend for a World Series berth in 2026, but the team hasn’t lived up to that hype at all. Like their AL West rivals, the Rangers, the Mariners have been really good on the mound and bad at the plate. Seattle’s team ERA ranks seventh (3.64), but they are 19th in runs scored (210), 21st in OPS (.694) and have the fourth-most strikeouts (462). Coming off a near-MVP season, Cal Raleigh looked lost at the plate before hitting the IL with an oblique injury, slashing .161/.243/.317 with a wRC+ of 64. Meanwhile, Josh Naylor has also underperformed, hitting .250 with a .674 OPS. Two of the team’s biggest bats have tanked, and outside of Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley, no one has really made up the gap. 19. Minnesota Twins (Last: 20)Grade: C+After entering the season with very low expectations, the Twins have been better than most would have thought, if only modestly so. They rank 16th in pitching fWAR and 16th in hitting fWAR, a perfect balance of mediocrity that feels about right, all things considered. Byron Buxton has been a highlight in his 12th season, with a team-high 15 homers and a 144 wRC+ in 42 games. Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober have pitched well, and both could end up being moved at the trade deadline for a nice haul of prospects. While it would be a surprise for Minnesota to keep pace for the AL Central race, it can’t be ruled out at this point, which counts as an organizational win at this point of the season.Through 50 games, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has posted a .372 slugging percentage, ranking 118th out of 171 qualified hitters. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images20. Toronto Blue Jays (Last: 27)Grade: D+ After last season’s run to the World Series, the ’26 season could not have gotten off to a worse start for the Blue Jays. The team sits in a tie with the Red Sox for third in the AL East at 22–27 and has a -12 run differential. Collectively, the team has a .675 OPS which ranks 27th in MLB, and their 611 total bases are 25th in the league. The offense, including stars like George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has not been at its best, and it’ll need to figure things out if the Jays are going to reach the postseason.21. Miami Marlins (Last: 21)Grade: C+There weren’t very lofty expectations for this Marlins team heading into the ’26 season, so it’s not too much of a surprise that the team sits fourth in the NL East. Miami has a few bright spots offensively, with the likes of Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards and Liam Hicks all off to strong starts to the year. The offense lacks power, however, with just 39 home runs in its first 50 games, which is third-fewest in MLB. The Marlins’ pitching has a collective ERA of 4.30 which ranks 21st in MLB, but their bullpen ERA of 3.38 ranks inside the top 10. For a team that was never expected to amount to much, it’s hard to call it a disappointing start for Miami, who look like the below-average team that many were expecting them to be.22. Boston Red Sox (Last: 26)Grade: DThe Red Sox have had a seismically disappointing start to the season, sitting near the basement of the AL East. Offensively, they’ve lacked power at the plate. Their 36 home runs and 173 RBIs both rank as the fewest among American League teams, and their .680 OPS is fifth-worst in MLB. The team’s pitching staff has been solid, logging a 3.68 ERA that ranks eighth in MLB, but their offensive inefficiency has plagued them with only three regular starters having a wRC+ above league average. 23. New York Mets (Last: 25)Grade: FThe Mets have been arguably the most disappointing team in MLB this season. Sitting dead last in the NL East, New York has struggled on both sides of the field, but particularly on offense. Their team OPS of .655 ranks last in the majors, and only the Padres, Red Sox and Brewers have fewer total bases than the Mets (605). Juan Soto, despite missing 15 games, leads the team with 1.3 fWAR. No other hitter has more than 0.6. The six position players who have appeared in the most games for New York––Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Carson Benge, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Tyrone Taylor—all have a wRC+ below 100. If the Mets are to climb out of their early-season deficit, it’ll start with increased production from the lineup. 24. Baltimore Orioles (Last: 22)Grade: DThe Orioles have underperformed early on in ’26, despite having a talented squad that many were expecting would be at the forefront of the wild-card race. Alarmingly, Baltimore has MLB’s second-worst run differential, having been outscored by opponents by a total of 59 runs. Only the Angels have been worse in that regard. The O’s 4.97 ERA is fifth-worst in MLB and the team’s pitching staff has surrendered 60 home runs in its first 50 games. Opponents are batting .264 against Baltimore’s pitchers, and the team doesn’t have a single starter with an fWAR above 0.7.25. Kansas City Royals (Last: 14)Grade: D-Aside from Bobby Witt Jr.’s continued excellence, little has gone right for the Royals in 2026. Salvador Perez is finally starting to lose the race against Father Time, batting .211/.259/.368 in 48 games. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino hasn’t been any better, and Maikel Garcia has taken a step back following his breakout ‘25 campaign. A decent yet unspectacular rotation has not made up for what’s been an abysmal bullpen, as Kansas City is 4–9 in one-run games. The odds of having a third consecutive season above .500 are dwindling fast, and the front office likely will set its sights on next year by the time the deadline rolls around.Rafael Devers is one of several Giants veterans who have gotten off to slow starts in 2026. | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images26. San Francisco Giants (Last: 24)Grade: DAfter all the moves Buster Posey made to reshape the Giants, the team has fallen completely flat. San Francisco has scored the fewest runs in baseball (173), while ranking 28th in OPS (.669) and 26th in home runs (41) as a team. Not only have they been bad on the field, but rookie manager Tony Vitello looks in over his head, and the team’s two highest-paid players, Rafael Devers and Willy Adames, have posted a combined -0.4 fWAR. Meanwhile, ace Logan Webb is sporting a 5.06 ERA, and Matt Chapman has a wRC+ of 77. Other than that, everything is going great. 27. Detroit Tigers (Last: 12)Grade: FSince placing Tarik Skubal on the injured list on May 4, the Tigers have lost 14 out of 16 games, seeing their playoff odds shrink 62.1% to 24.2%, per FanGraphs. It’s not just Skubal’s absence that’s fueled the quick slide: Detroit’s offense has hit .197 during that span, and has managed just eight home runs. The Tigers also rank dead last in FanGraphs’ defensive metric, as they do in Statcast’s Outs Above Average. There’s buzz that Skubal could return more quickly than originally expected from elbow surgery, and the Tigers will need him if there’s any hope to revive their season.28. Houston Astros (Last: 30)Grade: FThis grade is a tad unfair to the Astros because they have dealt with a slew of devastating injuries. But they have undoubtedly one of the worst teams in baseball this year, and only Yordan Alvarez’s MVP-level heroics have kept this from getting even more out of hand. Houston has the worst team ERA in baseball (5.34), which isn’t shocking when you consider Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Cristian Javier, Josh Hader, Hayden Wesneski and Brandon Walter are all on the 60-day IL. Carlos Correa is also done for the season in what has already become a lost campaign for the franchise. 29. Colorado Rockies (Last: 29)Grade: D+A few weeks ago, the Rockies looked like they could surprise some people this year. That hope has faded, but at least things are somewhat better than they have been the last few years, right? O.K., maybe not. Former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak has had a breakout campaign with a wRC+ of 148 and 12 home runs, and Hunter Goodman looks like a legitimate long-term solution at catcher. Other than that, there isn’t much good here. Unsurprisingly, Colorado’s pitching staff ranks 28th in ERA (5.00), and their offense only ranks 19th in runs (210) despite playing at Coors Field. It hasn’t been a great year. Again. 30. Los Angeles Angels (Last: 28)Grade: FThe Angels are baseball’s worst team record-wise and performance-wise as their -68 run differential is last in the league. L.A.’s other team is 25th in runs scored (199), 27th in ERA (4.99), and is wasting a comeback season from Mike Trout. Given that the franchise has wasted most of his career, that’s not too surprising, but it's still deplorable. Only four lineup regulars have a wRC+ above 100, while only Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano have topped 1.0 fWAR among the team’s pitchers. It’s all bad all the time in Anaheim.More MLB from Sports IllustratedAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow