​Rays jump back into elite spot in latest power rankings after 6-1 week originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Tampa Bay Rays are never a team you can count out, no matter the year. They don’t have the same star power as other teams in the American League East, but they always seem to be in the division hunt. That is no different this season, as they have come out and played great baseball this season. They lead the loaded AL East with their 62-43 record, three games ahead of the New York Yankees. They will be a fun team to watch over the next week before the deadline, with names like Luis Arraez popping up.MORE: Giants’ 4X All-Star infielder is ‘perfect’ trade target for RaysRays jump back into elite spot in latest power rankings after 6-1 weekTampa Bay had a full week’s worth of games last week. It was a tiring schedule, but they were able to make the most out of it. It started with a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, where they took three of the four games. Then, it was on to a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians, where they were able to complete the three-game sweep. With a 6-1 week, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter bumps them up from No. 7 to No. 4 in his latest power rankings. “The Rays have rebounded from a five-game losing streak with a 6-1 week, halting the slide before they lost control of the AL East standings. It’s always hard to gauge how they will approach the trade deadline, but this certainly looks like a roster that could be dramatically upgraded with one or two more quality bats.”Outside of Arraez, Lars Nootbaar’s name has come up a few times, and he could be a great addition for the team. Some other names have included Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach, but you never know with this club. They could certainly add someone that nobody was expecting at all.  More MLB news:White Sox stay put in power rankings after an up-and-down weekWhy Cubs designated Jameson Taillon for assignment in last year of $68M dealWhy Nationals should resist Yankees’ tempting trade offer for CJ AbramsNationals make huge jump in power rankings behind red-hot CJ Abrams