Texas Rangers pass Houston Astros in MLB Power Rankings

The Texas Rangers certainly aren’t anywhere near the pace of 2023, when they spent virtually the entire season leading the American League West.

It’s been a struggle for the defending World Series champions, but last week offered some bright spots. The Rangers have created some distance on the Houston Astros while staying within striking distance of the division-leading Seattle Mariners.

Those positives helped Texas climb four spots to 15th in MLB.com’s latest MLB Power Rankings.

The Rangers had two days off scheduled this week, and the rest seemed to have freshened them up: They went 4-1 this week and left some space between them and the Astros for second place in the West. They’re still a bit behind last year’s pace: They’re currently one game under .500 (heading into Monday), and on June 3, 2023, they were 37-20.

– MLB.com

The Rangers were ranked 19th on the season just a week before and had been edged out by Houston. The Astros fell three spots to 18th in the latest rankings.

José Abreu returned to the Astros team after being sent back to the Minors (for the first time in his career) after a very difficult period. It hasn’t gone well in his first week back: He’s 3 for 15 since his return, although he finally hit his first home run of the year on Saturday. (That 3 for 15 still increased his batting average.)

– MLB.com

Looking at the rest of the AL West, Seattle is No. 10, followed by the Oakland Athletics (26) and the Los Angeles Angels (27).

Texas opens a three-game home series against the Detroit Tigers at Globe Life Field on Monday.

You can follow Art Garcia on @ArtGarcia92.

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