The Tampa Bay Rays are heating up at just the right time—and their first baseman isn’t shy about it. Following a dominant sweep over the Kansas City Royals, Yandy Diaz didn’t hold back when asked about his team's current status in the league.

In an article written by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Diaz delivered quite the confident statement through team interpreter Eddie Rodriguez.

“I think we are the best team in baseball right now, and hopefully we can keep it up and finish strong.”

It’s a bold claim, but it’s hard to argue with the recent results. The Rays finished the series with a 4-0 shutout win, improving to 46-35 and pulling within half a game of the AL East standings behind the first place New York Yankees. More impressively, they’ve posted a 25-9 record since May 20th, showing consistency on both sides of the ball.

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On the mound, Shane Baz turned in what may have been the most dominant start of his career. The right-hander fired eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out nine. After surrendering a leadoff double, Baz locked in—retiring 19 consecutive batters and flashing the electric arsenal that once made him one of the clubs’ top prospects.

Offensively, the Rays continued to flex their depth. In the fourth inning, Jonathan Aranda, Jake Mangum, and Josh Lowe pieced together a two-out rally that produced two runs in just six pitches. Then, in the sixth, Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero launched back-to-back solo homers, with Caminero becoming just the sixth player aged 21 or younger in MLB history to hit 20 home runs before July 1st..

Defensively, Taylor Walls sealed the sweep with a game-ending double play that left the Royals scoreless for the final 15 innings of the series.

With Diaz’s 15-game hitting streak coming to an end on Thursday and Brandon Lowe now riding a 13-game streak of his own, the offense continues to produce consistently alongside a deep, flexible pitching staff.

As the AL East standings tighten, Tampa’s chemistry and confidence could make the difference. Diaz’s bold words may not just be locker-room hype—they reflect the club’s recent dominance. Whether or not they’re truly MLB’s best team remains to be seen, but right now, the Rays are certainly in the conversation.