MLB power rankings: Late-season collapse threatens Royals and Twins' MLB playoff hopes

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Against all odds, the American League Central is still aligned to send three teams to the postseason for the first time in the division's history.

But not before two of those teams produced pitiable September collapses.

The Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins had a lock on the Nos. 2 and 3 wild-card spots all month - heck, all second half, really, with the Royals briefly tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the division lead. That's all gone now in the wake of both clubs' hideous play the past week-plus.

The Royals, aiming for their first playoff berth since 2015, have lost seven in a row. They're tied with the surprising Detroit Tigers for the No. 2/3 wild card, though the Royals have the tiebreaker. The Twins have dropped 10 of their last 15 games, and, after starting the month within 3½ games of first place, are now out of the playoff picture altogether.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Those two, unsurprisingly, are the biggest losers in this week's MLB power rankings.

Not all is lost. Minnesota (81-75) will finish with a six-game homestand, against Miami and Baltimore, with the latter possibly not having much to play for if it's nailed down the top wild-card spot. Kansas City (82-74) hits the road, with three games each at Washington and Atlanta.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. New York Yankees (+1)

• Luke Weaver perfect in four save chances as nouveau closer.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (+1)

• Shohei Ohtani's 60-60 chances? Better than zero, for sure.

3. Philadelphia Phillies (-2)

• Zack Wheeler deserves more than a passing nod of Cy Young consideration.

4. San Diego Padres (+2)

• Drew 3.3 million fans. What's your excuse?

5. Cleveland Guardians (-)

• That's five AL Central titles since 2016.

6. Milwaukee Brewers (-2)

• If the past two weekends are any indication, a wild-card rematch with Arizona would be a real slobberknocker.

7. Baltimore Orioles (-)

• Jordan Westburg is back, and the lineup will be better for it.

8. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

• CLub sparring with county once again over stadium renovations.

9. New York Mets (+4)

• Francisco Lindor fill-in Luisangel Acuña with a nifty 1.228 OPS in his first nine games.

10. Atlanta Braves (-)

• Kinda need to sweep the Mets at home, starting Tuesday.

11. Houston Astros (-)

• Good: They'll clinch the division any day. Bad: Yordan Alvarez is ailing.

12. Detroit Tigers (+2)

• 19-8 since losing Javy Baez to hip surgery.

13. Kansas City Royals (-4)

• Need a winning road trip to Washington, Atlanta to salvage playoff spot.

14. Minnesota Twins (-1)

• A total collapse to miss playoffs is way worse than a quick first-round exit.

15. Chicago Cubs (-)

• "I mean, they're ahead of us by a lot." - Craig Counsell, on his old Milwaukee Brewers.

16. Seattle Mariners (-)

• Blowing a 5-0 lead to nearly kill your playoff chances is a tough way to go.

17. Boston Red Sox (-)

• Rafael Devers, who hit just four homers in his last 166 at-bats, finally shuts it down due to bum shoulder.

18. St. Louis Cardinals (-)

• Sonny Gray ends his season just a smidge early.

19. Tampa Bay Rays (+1)

• "We've got a chance," says Kevin Cash. (Cue Jim Carrey GIF).

20. San Francisco Giants (+1)

One more start for Blake Snell to add some zeros to his offseason haul.

21. Cincinnati Reds (-2)

• Yeah, firing the manager oughta do it.

22. Toronto Blue Jays (-)

• Vlad Guerrero Jr. drives in a hundred for the first time since 2021.

23. Pittsburgh Pirates (-)

• Paul Skenes lowers ERA to 1.99 in 22 starts. Yeah, pretty good debut.

24. Texas Rangers (-)

• Jacob deGrom with a couple of short starts that sow some hope for '25.

25. Washington Nationals (-)

• The CJ Abrams flap is a bummer conclusion for a squad taking steps forward.

26. Oakland Athletics (-)

• Just about time to head east on 80.

27. Los Angeles Angels (-)

• This Jack Kochanowicz growing into a relatively reliable starter.

28. Colorado Rockies (+1)

• Ryan McMahon posts his fifth season with at least 20 homers.

29. Miami Marlins (-1)

• Skip Schumacher likely bids farewell to whatever their ballpark's called these days.

30. Chicago White Sox (-)

• Admin's week was as good as their season's been bad.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.