Cubs rise in latest power rankings as regulars start to hit their stride

The Chicago Cubs did not have the best start to the 2026 season, but they have since bounced back. They are currently leading the most competitive division across MLB at this point, as no team in the NL Central has a losing record. 

This offense has been pretty impressive as they hold the fourth-highest team batting average in the big leagues, while the pitching staff holds a 1.19 WHIP, which is the third-lowest. 

They will look to keep up this momentum, but have a grueling full week schedule ahead of them, starting with the Cincinnati Reds on Monday for a four-game series and then a three-game series over the weekend against the Texas Rangers. 

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Cubs rise in latest power rankings as regulars start to hit their stride

The Cubs are coming off quite a successful week. They took two out of three in their series against the San Diego Padres and then had a clean three-game sweep over the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

The offense was great last week, as the regulars are starting to hit their stride. Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller has bumped them from No. 6 to No. 3 in his latest power rankings piece. 

"The Cubs have won 15 of their last 18. It's a stretch in which all 10 of the regulars in the lineup have hit better than .250, including both Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch, who have woken up a bit from their sluggish starts."

It has certainly helped that PCA and Busch have come alive at the plate after starting cold. 

Now, if the team can keep Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ going the way they are going, it's going to be hard to deny them a prime postseason spot come October, especially if they can get Justin Steele to move past the recent setback he suffered in rehab following UCL surgery. 

More MLB news:

• Rays move into top five driven by an absolutely dominant pitching staff
• Pirates slotted into top ten after a rollercoaster week of divisional results
• Athletics maintain their rank despite significant home pitching struggles
• Guardians rise in latest power rankings behind red-hot Chase DeLauter
• Cardinals turn heads after dominating the defending World Series champs