MLB standings: The biggest changes that matter across the AL and NL this week

It's still early in the 2026 MLB season — too early, of course, to draw any firm conclusions or start booking any flights for October. But after a topsy-turvy start to the year, it's felt an awful lot like the cream has started rising to the top of late.

Granted, the AL remains mostly a mess, with only one team — the suddenly scorching New York Yankees — more than two games above .500. But as the Yankees begin to spread their wings a bit, so too do the big boys of the NL, as the Atlanta Braves continue to run roughshod over the NL East and the Chicago Cubs roar to life in the Central.

Which movers and shakers are worth taking seriously? And what should you be looking out for this weekend? Our latest MLB standings update has all the developments you need to know.

AL East

It seems like just yesterday that Yankees fans were in a panic about this team after a 3-7 stretch that featured series losses to the A's and Rays and a split with the Angels. Safe to say things have turned around: New York hammered the Royals last weekend and then went up to Boston and swept the rival Red Sox to take control of the East.

The scariest part is that New York's offense, the best in baseball last season, still doesn't feel like it's gotten out of second gear; they won three in a row at Fenway Park despite not scoring more than four runs in any of them. This rotation has a scary ceiling with Cam Schlittler blossoming into an ace, and with Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole back within a month or so. As Boston, Toronto and Baltimore all struggle for consistency — and showing very little sign of putting things together — the Yankees could build some real breathing room in what was expected to be a rugged division.

AL Central

Slowly but surely, order is beginning to restore itself to the Central. The Tigers have staved off a small-scale existential panic of their own of late, most recently taking two of three from the Milwaukee Brewers in Detroit. This team hasn't lost a series in more than two weeks, and while the schedule hasn't exactly been rugged, you can only beat the competition in front of you (and it's not like the AL is overflowing with juggernauts right now).

Do the Tigers actually have enough offense to make a deep postseason push? That remains to be seen. But Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez and this bullpen have created a pretty low bar for this lineup to clear, and if Spencer Torkelson is finally heating up, this should still be the best team in a mediocre division — even if the Guardians also have the look of at least a Wild Card squad. (On an unrelated note: Has someone considered unplugging the Royals and plugging them back in?)

AL West

Speaking of mediocrity! Ladies and gentlemen, the AL West, a division in which no one is more than a game over .500 — and no one has a winning record in their last 10 games. It's been that kind of year so far: The two teams we thought would contend, the Mariners and Astros, have struggled out of the gate, and the A's and Rangers have as many reasons for excitement (a banger of an offense and a top-heavy roster) as they do reasons for skepticism (not enough pitching, not enough depth).

It's hard to imagine the Athletics or Texas getting hot over an extended stretch unless everything breaks right, given the obvious holes. It's also hard to imagine the Astros turning around this sinking ship, given how hard a time they're having assembling a viable pitching staff. That would seem to clear a path for Seattle ... you know, if the Mariners can hit enough to actually take advantage of it. My money's still on yes there, but we need to start seeing it soon.

NL East

From the most bunched-up division in baseball to the most lopsided — and it's not particularly close. The Braves just keep on winning, taking three of four from the Nationals this week after sweeping Philly last weekend. They still haven't lost a series all year, riding an offense that's finally returning to 2023 form and a pitching staff that has defied the odds (and some awful injury luck) en route to a surprisingly fantastic start. Who knows how much longer the likes of Martin Perez and Bryce Elder can keep this up, but if Atlanta keeps hitting like this, the pitching just needs to be good enough, especially with Spencer Strider coming back soon.

And really, what other team in this division is going to stop them? The other big change this week was the Mets finally climbing out of last place ... only to lose Francisco Lindor to injury almost immediately after welcoming Juan Soto back. New York remains a mess — a couple games of beating up on the Twins pitching staff won't quiet concerns about this offense — and the Phillies have seemingly had the bottom fall out amid a brutal nine-game losing streak. Even if one of these two would-be contenders rights the ship, have they already dug too big a hole?

NL Central

Here come the Cubs! Not too long ago, fans in Chicago were none too happy; the pitching staff was hanging on by a thread amid a rash of injuries, while a supposedly star-studded offense was as frigid as the weather in early April. The pitching remains a sore spot — reliever Caleb Thielbar left Thursday's walk-off win against Philly with a hamstring issue, and could be the seventh reliever the team has had to put on IL already this year — but the bats are now fully awake, having scored five or more runs in 11 of their last 15 games.

This is the offense we expected to see at the start of the year, with the added bonus of Nico Hoerner seemingly discovering 20-homer power overnight. If Pete Crow-Armstrong can get going, Chicago's ceiling is easily the highest in this division, especially with the Brewers struggling amid injuries of their own. The Reds have defied gravity thanks to a great bullpen and some close-game luck, the Pirates have pitched their way into Wild Card contention and the Cardinals have been feisty, but the Cubs should be the true class of this division — you know, if they don't fall apart first.

NL West

You don't need to tell me that the Dodgers remain good. The real question, as far as the NL West is concerned, is whether San Diego or Arizona can parlay their strong starts into something more lasting — something that might even force L.A. to work a little bit for a fifth straight divisional crown (and a 13th in 14 years).

The answer is ... maybe? The Padres remain red hot, but I remain slightly skeptical moving forward. Yes, the bullpen is unreal, but there isn't a ton of depth in this rotation or lineup, and that's a tough way to make a living (there's a reason their run differential isn't as gaudy as their overall record). I want to talk myself into Arizona; Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo have hardly gotten going yet, and you could talk me into liking a starting five of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson, Michael Soroka and Eduardo Rodriguez. But there's just perilously little depth here, especially offensively, and that'll make it very hard to keep pace with the Dodgers over a long summer.

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