MLB Latest Updates: Cubs, Yankees, Braves, Dodgers, and the Playoff Race

The MLB season is still young, so a bad week can be blamed on cold bats, a weak bullpen can be called a small sample, and a surprise division leader can still be treated like an upset story.

Still, it gives us the first real look at which teams have started with balance, which contenders are already fighting injuries, which divisions might be tighter than expected, and which early numbers look strong enough to be taken seriously.

Right now, the season has a little bit of everything. The Yankees and Braves looked like power teams. The Cubs have been the hottest baseball club. The Dodgers are still dangerous, but their pitching situation keeps changing. The Rays are hanging right behind the Yankees in the AL East. The AL Central and AL West are both open enough that no team is quite comfortable.

And around the league, injuries are already forcing clubs to test their form earlier than they would have wanted.

April and May don’t decide the MLB season, but they can change the path of it. A team that handles injuries, takes advantage of easier games, or finds help from a rookie bat, surprise starter, or reliable bullpen arm can make the rest of the year much easier.

The Yankees Lead, but the AL East Is Still Open

The Yankees have started the season like a team with big goals. The Yankees were 26-13 in early May, the best record in the American League. They had also scored 75 more runs than they had allowed, which shows they were not just winning close games.

Aaron Judge is, once again, right in the middle of the power picture. He has been among the MLB home run leaders, and when Judge is producing at that level, the Yankees’ lineup becomes difficult to manage. Pitch around him too often and the inning gets complicated. Attack him and one mistake can leave the yard.

The bigger early boost has been the pitching. Cam Schlittler has been one of the most important early stories in New York’s season, and his rise is the kind of thing that can also move MLB markets as bettors adjust to the Yankees having another reliable starter. ESPN’s leaderboards had him near the top of MLB in ERA, while MLB.com reported that he had added extra velocity after a mechanical adjustment. That is the type of development that can change a rotation from good to dangerous if it holds up.

However, the Yankees already have one of those early season problems. Jasson Domínguez landed on the 10 day injured list with a low grade AC sprain in his left shoulder after a collision with the outfield wall. The Yankees responded by calling up Spencer Jones, one of their top prospects, who had 11 home runs and 41 RBIs before the move.

Jones has the size, power, and prospect buzz to become more than a short term replacement. But New York doesn’t need him to carry the lineup right away. It needs him to keep the outfield from becoming a problem while Domínguez is out.

The Rays are close enough. Tampa Bay is only half a game behind New York and an 8-2 stretch in its previous 10 games showed that the Rays are a real threat.

Nick Martinez has been one of the main reasons Tampa Bay has stayed near the top. He entered early May with a 1.71 ERA, and he had already delivered the kind of long, efficient start that saves a bullpen over a long week.

The AL East still looks like the Yankees’ race, mostly because New York has paired a strong record with a much better run differential. But Tampa Bay being this close changes the pressure. The Yankees cannot just coast through spring and wait for summer. They already have a real team behind them.

The Cubs Have Become MLB’s Biggest Early Story

The Cubs are the team nobody can ignore right now. A 27-12 start had them on top of the NL Central, and their 10 game winning streak makes them one of the biggest stories in the early season.

Cubs are not just winning one run coin flips. They had a plus 56 run differential through early May, scored 215 runs, and were a perfect 10-0 over their last 10 games. Their offense has been doing damage, and their pitching has been good enough to let those big innings stand up.

Their latest win over Texas was a good example of how things are going for them. Seiya Suzuki homered, Michael Busch drove in runs, Ian Happ kept his on base streak going, and Ben Brown gave them four hitless innings in his first start of the season. That’s a potent mix.

The question is whether this pace can last. Probably not exactly like this, because no team plays at a 10 game winning streak level for six months. But the Cubs don’t need to stay this hot all the way through the season. They only need the early cushion to hold while the rest of the division sorts itself out.

The NL Central is not weak behind them. St. Louis was 23-15, Milwaukee was 20-16, and Pittsburgh was 21-18 in May. That means Chicago’s great start has not ended the race. It has only raised the standard.

If the Cubs cool off and the Cardinals or Brewers keep stacking wins, this division can change quickly. But if Chicago keeps scoring at this level, the rest of the Central may spend the summer fighting for a wild card position.

The Braves Have Started Strong Without Their Full Rotation

Atlanta’s record is one of the most impressive parts of the season so far because the Braves have done this while dealing with real pitching issues. They were 26-13 in early May, leading the NL East with a plus 77 run differential. That was the best run differential in the National League at that point, even ahead of the Dodgers.

The Braves’ offense has done a lot of the heavy lifting. Matt Olson has been among the National League’s top power bats, and Atlanta has looked like a team that can win games. When they’re hitting home runs and forcing opponents to chase early, they look like one of the most complete teams in the league.

The injury part is what makes their season complicated. Atlanta opened the season with multiple rotation concerns. Spencer Strider missed time with an oblique strain, while Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep were expected to be out until the summer after elbow issues.

Strider’s return is a major swing point. He made his season debut in early May and was lined up for another start against the Dodgers. His first outing back was not clean, with six strikeouts but also five walks over 3 1/3 innings at Coors Field. That’s normal for a pitcher returning from injury, but Atlanta’s ceiling changes if he gets closer to his best version.

Chris Sale has helped steady the top of the rotation. He had a 6-1 record and a 2.14 ERA going into the Dodgers series, and even in Atlanta’s 3-1 loss to Los Angeles, he gave the Braves seven strong innings with seven strikeouts and no walks.

The team has already played at an elite level, even though they haven’t had their preferred rotation fully settled. If pitching gets better, Atlanta can become even more difficult to catch. If the injuries keep piling up, the offense may have to carry too much weight through the summer.

The Dodgers Keep Winning Through Rotation Changes

The Dodgers are in a familiar place: near the top, loaded with talent, and somehow still dealing with pitching uncertainty. Still they are leading the NL West with a plus 79 run differential, the best mark in MLB.

Shohei Ohtani remains the biggest figure in the league. On the mound, he looked like a Cy Young level arm, with a 0.97 ERA after seven strong innings against Houston, a start in which he struck out eight and allowed four hits.

The Dodgers have had to manage Ohtani’s workload carefully. He hasn’t hit in some of his pitching starts, which is a reminder that even the sport’s superstar has limits. That doesn’t take away from what he’s doing. It actually explains why Los Angeles has to be careful. If Ohtani can give the Dodgers elite innings and still remain a major lineup presence across the season, that is a huge advantage. But there is no reason to burn that advantage so early.

The Dodgers’ rotation is still shifting. Tyler Glasnow went on the injured list with lower back spasms, though an MRI reportedly showed nothing serious. Blake Snell, who had been working back from shoulder fatigue, was pushed toward a quicker return and lined up to start against Atlanta.

Freddie Freeman’s home run against Atlanta was another useful reminder that Los Angeles could win. The Dodgers beat the Braves 3-1 with Ohtani driving in the go ahead run, Freeman homering against his former team, and the bullpen finishing the job.

The AL Central Is Still Wide Open

The AL Central has not produced one runaway team yet.

Cleveland was leading the division at 21-19, but the Guardians had a negative run differential. Detroit and Kansas City were both 18-21, the White Sox were close at 17-21, and Minnesota was 16-23. Nobody has taken control. Nobody is buried either.

The Guardians do have a new spark in Travis Bazzana. The 2024 No. 1 overall pick, hit his first MLB home run in a win over Minnesota, added two stolen bases, and made an immediate impact just days after his call up. That’s exactly the kind of rookie arrival that can change a division race.

Cleveland’s formula is simple. The Guardians usually need pitching, defense, contact, and enough timely power. If Bazzana adds speed and impact at the top of the lineup, they become harder to play against.

Detroit is one of the teams with a better run differential than its record, but injuries are part of the concern. RotoWire’s injury snapshot had the Tigers with the highest injury severity score in MLB in early May, which is not where you want to be at the beginning of the season.

The White Sox are also worth watching because Davis Martin has been one of the best early ERA stories in baseball. ESPN had him among the top starters in ERA, and when a team in a difficult division gets that kind of pitching, it can hang around longer than expected.

The AL West Is Still Waiting for a Clear Favorite

The AL West standings looked a bit off. The Athletics were on top at 20-18. Seattle was second at 19-20. Texas, Houston, and the Angels were all below .500.

Seattle might be an interesting story. The Mariners were under .500, but they had a positive run differential, and Brendan Donovan’s return from the injured list gives them a useful, flexible bat. Donovan was hitting .304 with three home runs and eight RBIs through 18 games before his return, and his defensive versatility gives Seattle more ways to build lineups.

Houston is the team that stands out for all the wrong reasons. The Astros were 16-23 with a minus 27 run differential, which isn’t just a slow start but a sign that they had been beaten too often. Still, it is too early to bury Houston. Their pitching has struggled, but one or two strong starters can quickly change how the team looks. Mike Burrows gave them a good sign with seven scoreless innings against Cincinnati.

The Phillies and Mets Are Already Chasing

The NL East has a clear leader in Atlanta, and that puts pressure on Philadelphia and New York earlier than expected. The Phillies were 17-22 with a minus 44 run differential.

Cristopher Sánchez has been a bright spot. He was tied for the Major League lead in strikeouts with 60 and had a 2.42 ERA. That gives Philadelphia a real ace level performer.

The Mets were also in a poor spot at 15-23, sitting at the bottom of the division. Clay Holmes has been one of the highlights carrying a 1.69 ERA through seven starts after moving from relief work into a starting role.

The Dodgers Lead the NL West, but the Padres Are Close

San Diego was 22-16, two games behind Los Angeles. The Padres’ run differential was exactly even, which makes their record look a little more fragile than the Dodgers’ mark. That means the Padres probably need to start winning more convincingly or they may become vulnerable to regression.

Arizona, Colorado, and San Francisco were all below .500 and already several games back. The Giants’ early offensive numbers were especially concerning, with only 120 runs scored through 38 games.

The NL West race looks simple for now. The Dodgers have the most talent and the strongest underlying numbers. The Padres are close enough to keep the division on the edge. Everyone else needs a strong stretch quickly to avoid drifting into wild card long shot territory.

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