BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 22: Adley Rutschman #31 of the Boston Red Sox tags out Chase DeLauter #24 Cleveland Guardians at home during the second inning of a game on September 22, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite getting eliminated from the AL East title race on Tuesday, the Yankees have to feel good about taking three out of four from the Rays. Concluding with the comeback victory to cap off the series win on Thursday, the Yankees now have a tangible piece of positive reinforcement that they can beat Tampa Bay with the playoffs less than a week away. While their game may have carried no weight in the standings or postseason seeding, there is still meaningful baseball being played around the AL that has consequences for both divisional and Wild Card races, with two teams getting eliminated from the Wild Card picture (though still with a chance to win their division).
Cleveland Guardians (83-76) 1, Boston Red Sox (85-74) 0
Those tuning in hoping for some excitement on offense were sorely disappointed, the Guardians and Red Sox combining for just six hits. It was an unorthodox pitchers’ duel, Ranger Suarez limiting Cleveland to a run on three hits and a walk in five innings while the Guardians rolled out a bullpen game, opener Daniel Espino and bulk reliever Joey Cantillo combining for six scoreless innings allowing just a hit and two walks. Boston’s only base knocks were two-out singles by Nick Sogard and Jarren Duran in the third and seventh, respectively.
The Guardians were hardly more effective at the plate with the bulk of the action coming in the second and third innings. The lone run of the game came courtesy of a one-out solo shot by Angel Martínez in the second on a 2-2 changeup from Suarez off the plate away.
As it turns out, that was the blast that clinched a postseason berth for the Guardians. With the win, Cleveland at worst has clinched the third and final Wild Card spot, their third straight postseason berth. They still lead the AL Central by a game over the White Sox, though Chicago does own the season series tiebreaker in the event of identical records.
As for Boston, a postseason berth is already sewn up, but not quite the five-seed in the AL. Should Boston lose out, Cleveland win two of their final three, and Chicago win out, all three teams would end with an 85-77 record. In that unlikely event, the AL Central tiebreaker would supersede interdivisional head-to-head record, meaning that the Red Sox would then drop to the six-seed in the AL despite winning the season series over the White Sox and splitting with the Guardians. That would result in a Yankees-Guardians showdown in one AL Wild Card Series while the Red Sox would face off against the winner of the AL West.
AL Wild Card Rock Fight
Chicago White Sox (82-77) 9, Kansas City Royals (68-91) 1
The White Sox joined the Guardians in clinching their postseason berth, though in far more thrilling fashion than their AL Central counterparts. David Sandlin gave them six innings of one run ball with seven strikeouts, while his offense ambushed Randy Dobnak for six runs on six hits in the first two innings, the Royals starter recording just four outs. The Royals managed just one run on a Salvador Perez solo shot in the fourth, but they were already losing 8-0 by the time that ball flew over the wall.
Sam Antonacci, Kyle Teel, Miguel Vargas, Chase Meidroth, and Braden Montgomery all logged multi-hit efforts for Chicago, Teel going yard to lead off the fourth. Vargas, Andrew Benintendi, and Tristan Peters all drove in a pair on the night. Chicago remains a game behind the Guardians in the AL Central. Despite the possibility that they and the Astros finish the season with identical records and the Astros hold the tiebreaker in the season series, the White Sox winning the season series over the Guardians takes precedence in postseason seeding, guaranteeing the White Sox at worst the six-seed in the AL at the moment. It will be Chicago’s first trip to the postseason since 2021.
Texas Rangers (79-80) 3, New York Mets (73-86) 1
Every game is a must win for the Rangers at this point, and they kept their playoff hopes alive with a narrow win over the Mets in Arlington. Kumar Rocker gave them five innings of one run ball, the lone damage a Carson Benge RBI single in the first after Francisco Lindor led off the game with a double. Josh Jung responded in the bottom half of the frame with a two-run blast following Justin Foscue’s leadoff single. Corey Seager provided a crucial insurance run with a solo shot in the sixth, the Rangers bullpen combining to close the game with four shutout innings of one-hit ball.
With the White Sox winning their game over the Royals, the Rangers’ only path to making the postseason is by winning the division. They lost the season series to both the Astros and the White Sox, meaning if all three finish with identical records, Texas would be eliminated.
Houston Astros (79-80) 7, Athletics (63-96) 5
Astros rookie center fielder Lucas Spence had himself the game of a lifetime to keep the Astros tied by record with the Rangers atop the AL West. Despite entering the game with a .150 average and 26 wRC+, he almost singlehandedly won the game for Houston with a three-run blast in the second to open the scoring, the go-ahead solo shot in the seventh after the Athletics came roaring back, and his third homer of the night in the ninth to seal it — the first three home runs of his major league career.
It looked like the A’s would strike a dagger blow to the Astros’ postseason chances, Jeff McNeil and Zack Gelof going back-to-back in the third with a three-run homer and a solo shot, respectively, to take a 4-3 lead. However, Houston tied the game on an Isaac Paredes leadoff homer in the sixth followed by Spence’s second of the game an inning later. Christian Walker hit what turned out to be a necessary insurance solo shot in the seventh as Gelof hit his second solo bomb of the night in the eighth to keep it a one-run game.
Just like the Rangers, Houston can only make the postseason by winning the AL West. The Astros dominated the season series over Texas, winning nine games to the Rangers’ four, so they own the tiebreaker in the division if the teams end with identical records. With three games to go, the only race to determine playoff participants is the AL West battle between both Texas teams for first, though the AL’s fifth and sixth seeds could shift depending on results.
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 23: Sam Antonacci #17 of the Chicago White Sox bats during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Sydney Schneider/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
We are entering the final week of the regular season. The playoff field is mostly set, with, realistically, just the Rangers battling the Astros for the AL West – the loser stays home – and the White Sox battling the Guardians for the AL Central – the loser gets the final Wild Card spot. The Royals, obviously, are not included in this year’s field.
And yet, I discovered last year that having your local team miss the playoffs doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The Royals also missed the playoffs that year, and yet I became invested in the Seattle Mariners. Cal Raleigh was such a fun story last year, and they had all that amazing pitching. Plus, they’d had one of the most exciting trade deadlines, acquiring Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor. So when it came time for the playoffs to start, unlike most seasons, I kept watching.
And what I found was an absolutely liberating experience. When the Mariners managed to scrape past the Tigers and Tarik Skubal, it was nearly as much fun as watching the Royals win. But when the Phillies lost on the terrible defensive play, I didn’t feel the crush of defeat the way I normally do. When the Mariners blew the late lead in game seven of the ALCS, I felt a small twinge, but rebounded very quickly. I was even able to transfer my temporary allegiance to the Blue Jays and the exciting story of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smashing every single ball thrown near him. When they also blew a late lead in game seven of the World Series, again, a small twinge, but then I was able to simply enjoy how cool Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s postseason performance had been.
Every season, 18 teams stop playing after the regular season ends. From that point on, it’s constant attrition until there can be only one winner. It seems silly that only 1/30 of the fans get to enjoy the season based on their team winning the whole thing. So I highly recommend giving temporary fandom a shot. It can be rewarding without being nearly as punishing as the usual thing.
That said, I think even temporary fandom has to be a bit organic. If you try to force it, it simply doesn’t work. That’s what I found out last year when I tried to transfer my Phillies fandom to the Brewers. Milwaukee just wasn’t able to appeal to me for whatever reason, and so I became an AL-only fan. But to give you all the best chance I can to find that organic excitement, let’s go over some of the storylines for each of the playoff contenders, and hopefully you’ll find at least one team you can vibe with!
The Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in the American League, and they’ve done it on the backs of two young position players who could hardly be any different. Junior Caminero has battled with Yordan Alvarez for the AL lead in home runs for most of the season; he leads all of MLB in swing length and bat speed. He leads the American League in EV90 – a stat that averages the top 10% hardest-hit balls by a player. On the other end of the spectrum is Chandler Simpson. Simpson doesn’t have a single barrel to his name in the entire season, though he squares the ball up better than anyone; he just doesn’t hit it very hard. He almost never walks or strikes out. But he has the fourth-best batting average in MLB and leads the AL in stolen bases. He’s basically what you would get if you took Luis Arraez and traded away what little power he has for elite defense and speed.
Drew Rasmussen leads the rotation, but Griffin Jax and Shane McClanahan (who will miss at least the ALDS) have been good too. Freddy Peralta has been rejuvenated after being acquired at the deadline. Nick Martinez has been solid. Ian Seymour has been significantly better than his ERA, but might end up in the bullpen for the playoffs, where he could really dominate. If he does, he’ll join Bryan Baker – battling for MLB saves leader – and Kevin Kelly – 24th in MLB for reliever fWAR.
The New York Yankees are probably a tough sell for most Royals fans, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about them a little. Aaron Judge is a generational talent. Ben Rice is having the kind of breakout season we all hope to see from Jac Caglianone next year. Cody Bellinger is still very good; Paul Goldschmidt is having a heck of a last hurrah. Giancarlo Stanton is trying to come back to attempt more playoff heroics.
On the pitching side, Cam Schlittler is probably going to win the AL Cy Young Award. He somehow overshadows Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and the breakout of Ryan Weathers. They have two relievers who have topped 2.0 fWAR in setup man Brent Headrick and closer David Bednar.
The Boston Red Sox might be the poster children for the idea that good things can happen when an underachieving team fires its manager, even if the manager is widely regarded as quite good at his job. Roman Anthony was one of the best prospects in baseball last year and is starting to come back into his own again after battling injuries all season. Mickey Gasper was a waiver wire pickup who has nearly carried the offense. Willson Contreras is having the best season of his good career at age 34. Cedanne Rafaela has been electric in center field, though he injured his hamstring and his availability for the playoffs is in question.
Rookie Payton Tolle might have stolen the show with his tremendous pitching, but Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez are no slouches. Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman have always been very good, but Brayan Bello has been a revelation since being bumped from the rotation, and Erik Miller has turned out to be a very good deadline pickup. Collectively, the Red Sox have had the most valuable bullpen in the AL, and it isn’t particularly close.
The Chicago White Sox are this year’s version of the 2024 Royals. They lost 102 games last year and this year they’re battling with the Guardians for the division and will settle for a Wild Card. And that’s just the very beginning of why they’re going to be my favorite team to start the 2026 playoffs! They also have Team Italy contributors Sam Antonacci and Kyle Teel. They have Munetaka Murakami being way better than people expected. They have two young sluggers named Montgomery who are not related to each other. They have a huge surprise in Tristan Peters and a young veteran taking yet another step forward in Miguel Vargas, and somehow Chase Meidroth has exploded.
They don’t have much of interest in their rotation, but Grant Taylor has been pretty good in the bullpen. They recently promoted top pitching prospect Hagen Smith to the bullpen and demoted top pitching prospect Noah Schultz from the rotation to the bullpen, and both have been utterly dominant.
I don’t want to spend the time to go over the Texas Rangers or the Houston Astros. We’re still not sure which of them will even make it; the Astros are still stained by the cheating scandal of nearly a decade ago in many minds, and the Rangers do everything they can to be political and on the wrong side for my taste. The Rangers have Nicky Lopez, and the Astros have Yordan Alvarez. Either team could be the first-ever MLB team to make the playoffs with a sub-.500 record, and maybe you want to root for the chaos and gnashing of teeth that such a team winning the World Series would lead to. And who would I be to stop you?
The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to be a hard sell for many, but they have a certain appeal. They’re going for the first threepeat since the Yankees did it from 1998-2000. Shohei Ohtani won’t be pitching, but he should still be hitting, and that’s still worth the price of admission. Josue De Paula earned a promotion to the bigs when Shohei was hurt a couple of weeks ago, and he did well enough that I absolutely would not count him out of postseason appearances even after he was demoted upon Shohei’s return. Max Muncy is still Max Muncy. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernández are no longer as good as they once were, but they’re still good. Enrique Hernández is somehow still around and has always been a monster for LA in the postseason.
Their pitching, as usual, is just silly. Tarik Skubal is taking up all the oxygen, but Blake Snell has won a pair of Cy Young Awards; Yoshinobu Yamamoto almost single-handedly won the World Series for them last season; Tyler Glasnow would have won a Cy Young if he could have ever pitched a full season; Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan, and Roki Sasaki have all been very good. In their bullpen, Edwin Díaz has been a disappointment, but Tanner Scott has rebounded in a big way, and they have old friends Will Klein and Kris Bubic to help carry the load, too.
The Atlanta Braves have Ronald Acuña Jr. – he’s always fun. Drake Baldwin is an exciting young catcher. Ozzie Albies has bounced back. Matt Olson has hit 40 home runs for two straight seasons. And old friends Lane Thomas and Mike Yastrzemski are role players who could be key pinch-hitters on the nights they don’t start.
On the pitching side, it’s Chris Sale and then everyone else. Chris is 37, a future Hall of Famer, and somehow he’s still dealing so well that if it wasn’t for the next starting pitcher we’re going to talk about, he’d be a strong candidate for the Cy Young Award this year.
When you talk about the Milwaukee Brewers, you don’t start with the hitting; you start with Jacob Misiorowski. He is, as hinted above, a near lock for this year’s NL Cy Young at only 24. He has a 1.86 ERA, and he has a 31.7% K-BB%, which is higher than the K% of all but two other starting pitchers in all of baseball. They also have three flamethrowing relievers at the back end of their bullpen: Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Aaron Ashby.
But actually, their offense is pretty fun, too. Brice Turang has taken even a step above last year’s breakout. Jackson Chourio bounced back after taking a dip in his sophomore year. Jake Bauers has come out of nowhere at age 30. Garrett Mitchell has done the same, though he’s still just 27. And William Contreras is still a truly excellent catcher. Andrew Vaughn continues his career resurgence after arriving from Chicago last season. Christian Yelich is no longer the player he once was, but he used to be so good, and for some, it might be fun to watch him try to finally capture a championship.
The Brewers are also a small-market team and will finish the season with more wins than any other team.
The Philadelphia Phillies have the same exciting guys they’ve had for a few years. Bryce Harper might have some weird opinions, but he can hit a baseball. So can Kyle Schwarber, though I don’t know if he has any weird opinions.
Pitching has been their real calling card this year, though. Cristopher Sánchez was on a Cy Young track until the Royals roughed him up and he finished looking far more mortal. They also have Zack Wheeler, though he’s had a similar arc to his season. Jesús Luzardo was fantastic before he got hurt, though he promised to return for the playoffs and successfully threw a bullpen session recently. Jhoan Duran is still one of the best closers in the sport, and his sidekick is former Royal Jonathan Bowlan.
The Chicago Cubs start and mostly end with Pete Crow-Armstrong, the 40-40 center fielder who seems destined not just for this year’s Gold Glove, but also a platinum glove and an MVP Award. Seiya Suzuki and Alex Bregman have been adequate sidekicks for the guy who has basically been the best player in MLB with little to no competition. Bregman, unfortunately, suffered multiple facial fractures from an errant foul ball, and his availability for the playoffs is in question.
On the pitching side, I have to be honest: no one really stands out. Their best pitcher by fWAR has been Ben Brown, and he was ruled out for the remainder of the season at the beginning of the month. The next most valuable has been Shota Imanaga, and he’s been plenty good but simply cannot compare to the other studs around the sport.
The San Diego Padres have Fernando Tatis Jr., and you don’t need much more to be interested in them. But they also have Manny Machado still chugging along. Jackson Merrill has been enjoying a bounce-back campaign. Xander Bogaerts has been playing his best ball in years. Old friends Samad Taylor and Freddy Fermin have valiantly held down bench roles. But it’s old nemesis Ty France who seems to have boosted the Padres from “playoff contender” to “championship threat”, at least on the hitting side. He’s enjoying the best campaign of his career and treating all of MLB as he always has the Royals. At least now everyone else feels our pain.
Now, if you actually want to know what’s powering the Padres’ success…remember how I mentioned the Red Sox had the most valuable bullpen in the AL and it wasn’t particularly close? They lead the second-place AL team by 1.6 fWAR. The Padres lead the Red Sox by 1.4 fWAR. Mason Miller has had a nearly 4-WAR season as a reliever. Adrian Morejon has the third-best reliever fWAR in baseball at 2.8. Yuki Matsui has a sub-1.00 ERA over the past month. Michael King leads their rotation, and he’s been more “quite good” than “fantastic,” but if you want to see a team try to pull off the HDH victories of 2014 and 2015, these Padres might be the team to do it.
I won’t tell you which team to pick, though I’ve told you my favorite in the AL. After doing this exercise, I think I’m probably leaning toward the Padres in the NL, but maybe The Miz can attract me back to the Midwest. But really, it doesn’t matter which team you pick. Just that you pick one and give yourself an additional opportunity to feel some relatively risk-free joy in a world where it can be so hard to find.
The Cubs last played the Red Sox July 20, 2025 at Wrigley Field, 432 days ago. They lost 6-1 after winning the first two games of that series.
In hindsight, that’s when the wheels started falling off the 2025 season. The Cubs entered that game leading the NL Central by one game and were 20 games over .500 at 59-39. They went 33-30 after the July 20 loss, which isn’t terrible, but the Brewers went 38-25 and won the division by five games.
These games are more meaningful for the Cubs, as they could still finish as the fourth, fifth or sixth NL postseason seed. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are most likely headed to New York Tuesday to begin a Wild Card series.
For more on the Red Sox, here’s Mike Carlucci, a writer for our SB Nation Red Sox site Over The Monster.
As the Cubs arrive in Fenway Park they face perhaps the most mercurial Red Sox team in a generation. Boston famously got off to a disastrous start. Alex Cora and the entire (well, mostly, Andrew Bailey survived) coaching staff departed unceremoniously, or perhaps slightly ceremoniously, in a van that said “Coaches for Hire.”
But then a 15-game winning streak. And a streak of 9. They couldn’t lose.
After about 40 gamers though, things slowed down. With a playoff berth clinched, Boston welcomes the Cubs to Fenway Park on a weekend the city braces for a nor-easter. Sunday became Friday afternoon. Friday evening became…slightly earlier on Friday. Saturday is… possibly being moved to Tropicana Field on Sunday. On the NESN post-game show the plan was for the players to be packed and ready to go to Tampa for a game Sunday and then from there to New York for the Wild Card.
Former Cub Willson Contreras hopes to play in the series after getting hit in the hand by the Texas Rangers. He’s still in a lot of pain trying to swing and isn’t sure he will be ready for the Wild Card. Garrett Crochet will probably not appear in any games. However they did move him to the Spring Training park to keep building up. Maybe if Sunday is played in Tampa he’ll make a surprise entrance?
Alex Gamboa will be the starter/opener in Game 1. He’s gone as deep as 4.0 innings before so it might be a short start rather than a strict open. It’s possible Jake Bennett provides some bulk innings as well. Bennett, in his rookie year, had a fantastic first half but tired in the second half.
Brayan Bello gets the start for Game 2. He’s been starting with an opener most of the summer but last time out against the Rays he went 8.0 brilliant innings in a return to starting the game in the first inning himself.
Who pitches on Saturday? It could be anyone! Possibly Jedixson Páez as he made one appearance for Boston already and could save the bullpen from carrying those innings. He’s tossed 6.2 innings in his career, all in 2026, with both colors of Sox while allowing 14 earned runs. You hate to think of a player as expendable but, in a potentially rain-shortened (or canceled) game 162 that is meaningless to at least one team involved, that just might be the bar.
Fun facts
This is only the second time that the Cubs have finished the regular season playing an American League team, and the first outside Chicago. They wrapped up 2020 on the South Side vs. the White Sox.
Since interleague play began in 1997, the Cubs have played only 27 games against the Red Sox, tying for their fewest against an American League team. They also have played 27 vs. the Athletics. They have played 28 vs. the Orioles and Rays, 29 vs. the Angels and 30, their total against Boston after this weekend, vs. the Blue Jays and Rangers.
The Cubs are 14-13 against the Red Sox, despite having been outscored by 11 runs, 142-131. The Cubs are +6 in all games except the second one in their last visit to Boston: a 17-0 shellacking on April 27, 2024.
The Cubs lost that series finale, too, 5-4, leaving each team with six wins when they have met in Boston. Half of the Cubs’ wins came in 2014, when they swept the Sox by scores of 2-0, 2-1 and 16-9. They went 1-2 in each of their three other series at Fenway Park. They split the first two games of all three.
(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
Probable pitching matchups
Friday, Game 1: Clay Holmes, RHP (2-4, 4.26 ERA, 1.241 WHIP, 4.11 FIP in eight starts with Cubs; 6-8, 3.25 ERA, 1.165 WHIP, 3.62 FIP in 17 starts overall) vs. Alec Gamboa, LHP (1-0, 1.16 ERA, 1.065 WHIP, 3.16 FIP)
Friday, Game 2: David Peterson, LHP (6-2, 3.94 ERA, 1.394 WHIP, 4.20 FIP in 15 games with Cubs; 9-8, 4.96 ERA, 1.514 WHIP, 4.03 FIP in 31 games overall) vs. Brayan Bello, RHP (6-7, 4.62 ERA, 1.371 WHIP, 4.00 FIP)
Saturday: TBD vs. TBD
Times & TV channels
Friday, Game 1: 12:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Friday, Game 2: 5:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Saturday: 6:15 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
As you have likely heard, there is a chance that the Saturday game might be moved to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, and played on Sunday instead of Saturday. If that happens, the game would likely be played at 2:05 p.m. CT so as to match up with all the other last day of the regular season starting times.
Prediction
I throw up my hands here. I have no idea. I like picking two of three so why the heck not. The Cubs need to win one more game than the Padres do this weekend against the Diamondbacks to finish ahead of them for a wild card spot, and one more game than the Phillies do against the Rays to finish ahead of them. (Those numbers include the fact that the Cubs own the tiebreaker against both the Padres and Phillies.)
Up next
The postseason! The Cubs will be playing Tuesday. Against … the Phillies, or the Padres, or the Braves, or even possibly the Diamondbacks, and at this time we have no idea where. As always, we await developments.
Sep 18, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Athletics left fielder Zack Gelof (20) watches as center fielder Henry Bolte (33) makes a catch in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Welcome to Friday A’s fans!
With just three games remaining in the regular season, this seems like an appropriate time to reflect on an Athletics season that began with promise before a rash of injuries and a league-worst pitching staff contributed to another summer collapse.
Making matters worse is the fact that the 2026 American League West was the worst division in MLB history. Either the Houston Astros or Texas Rangers will win the division and play in the playoffs despite finishing the season with at best a .500 record. As a result, this year will go down as a missed opportunity for the A’s to be involved in a postseason race, something the franchise has yet to experience under manager Mark Kotsay.
However, given the pitching staff Kotsay had at his disposal, it was not surprising that the A’s finished the season with the league’s second-worst ERA and allowed the second-most runs, behind only the Colorado Rockies. Additionally, the Green and Gold allowed the most home runs and posted the league’s second-worst WHIP.
Right-hander Luis Severino earned $22 million to make 12 starts before missing the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, while fellow veteran Jeffrey Springs allowed more home runs than any other pitcher. J.T. Ginn and Gage Jump at least showed flashes of promise, giving the team two rotation building blocks. Whoever the A’s new pitching coach is will need to help right-hander Luis Morales get back on track after his significant regression this season.
The A’s league-worst bullpen comprising many waiver-wire arms also failed to consistently retire opposing batters, resulting in outfielder Carlos Cortes pitching in nine blowout losses. Outside of Hogan Harris and Luis Medina, the team needs relievers it can trust. That is why the new general manager should prioritize acquiring bullpen reinforcements, along with at least one starting pitcher, this winter.
The A’s offense should be fine, provided the injury bug does not bite again. In fact, the unit provided some of the best moments of the 2026 season, from dramatic comebacks to breakout performances and unexpected contributors.
Rookie Henry Bolte looks like the answer to the A’s center field and leadoff hitter questions, while versatile Zack Gelof shrugged off injuries to enjoy a resurgent career-best season. Now if only right fielder Lawrence Butler could stay consistent for a whole season instead of waiting until the team is out of contention to start performing better.
What was your favorite moment from 2026? Which players lived up to expectations and who underperformed? Will the Athletics get one final season in Sacramento, or will the lockout derail the 2027 campaign?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers to clinch a wildcard spot at Dodger Stadium on September 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Padres took out the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2, and clinched a playoff spot, leaving one playoff position open for either the Phillies or Diamondbacks.
Arizona begins play on Friday two games behind the Phillies.
So how much of a chance do they have of making the Major League Baseball playoffs? Here’s a rundown of baseball’s playoff races and what teams already have clinched.
Lovullo is on a one-year contract, and has yet to be extended beyond 2026. Earlier in the year, reporting suggested it was a simple cause-and-effect: if Lovullo wants to be retained, he needed to get Arizona back to the postseason.
Even the manager himself noted as much. The Diamondbacks are still, somehow, alive in this playoff race, though they will need an improbable sweep of the San Diego Padres this weekend to make it in.
But according to the latest comments from Diamondbacks team president and CEO Derrick Hall, the Lovullo decision is not that simple.
“I highly doubt that Torey Lovullo would accept a one-year deal. This guy has been here for 10 years; he took a team to the World Series, he’s 11 games over .500 this year … There seems to be an ownership group that is not totally convinced that he’s the right guy for the job,” Gambadoro said.
“If that’s the case, then maybe he does decide to say ‘let me see what’s out there.’”
The Friars beat the Dodgers 4-2 on Thursday night in Los Angeles, formally punching their postseason ticket with three games left in the season and as exciting as that is, there is still plenty to play for. San Diego is still in position to host the National League Wild Card series at Petco Park.
That interview took place months before the 2025 season — yes, 2025 — when Quero predicted the White Sox to be improved because of their collective youthful energy, even coming off 121 losses.
“I mentioned it again in Spring Training,” Quero told MLB.com during a recent interview. “Maybe some people think I was crazy, but I’m not. The guys are proving it right now.
“I’ve played with a lot of players here in the Minor Leagues, we played in the playoffs, too. It’s the base of a really good team we play with right now. You can see the guys are hungry and we play really good baseball.”
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 16: Willson Contreras #40 of Team Venezuela warms up during batting practice before the game against Team Italy at loanDepot park on March 16, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox begin the postseason on Tuesday and have scored just 5 runs over the last 5 games. In other words, now would be a great time for the team’s best offensive contributor to return to a lineup that desperately needs a spark. But unless a miracle happens over the weekend, things aren’t looking good. Willson Contreras took batting practice on Tuesday, only for his hand injury to worsen in the subsequent days. He’s still struggling to grip a bat and admitted to tearing up out of frustration. “I’m doing everything that I can to come back and play with the boys and be there with the boys,” he said. “But sometimes you have to listen to your body.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
At least Ceddanne Rafaela has returned. He should be able to give a little lift for the lineup, though he does present a conundrum for Chad Tracy, as the Sox now have too many outfielders and DHs to fit into the lineup at once. With Roman Anthony, Rafalea, and Wilyer Abreu essentially locked into starting spots, Tracy has to decide whether to prioritize Duran’s glove and legs over the platoon DH production of Mickey Gasper and Jahmai Jones. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
And all of this is occuring against the backdrop of this weekend’s storm. And if you think we’re done dealing with that now that MLB has moved Sunday’s game to today, we’re not. There is still a possibility that one or more of this weekend’s games is moved to Tropicana Field in St. Pete. (Conor Ryan, Boston.com)
With the depressing news about Contreras, the team could probably use a pep talk. If so, Pedro Martinez — as someone who still believed in this team in the darkness of May — is available. “I just feel good about approaching the Yankees this time around. And [the Red Sox] are young, yes. We don’t have the highest expectations about them, but man, for some reason, I just feel so positive,” said the right arm of God. “I just feel so excited that this young group of guys that we have out there are able to do something special. I don’t see anything wrong with these kids, and I don’t see why they shouldn’t give everybody knuckles. Not just the Yankees, but everybody.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
If the Sox are going to give everybody knuckles, then Ranger Suarez is probably going to be a part of it. The offseason signing has an outstanding postseason resume, and his final 2026 stats are more or less in line with the numbers he’d been putting up in Philadelphia, even if he sounds slightly disappointed in his performance. “Obviously I think I could have done better,” he said of his season. “But I was happy I was able to finish the season strong.” (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 24: Jose Ramirez #11 and Angel Martinez #1 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrate the win over the of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 24, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Cleveland Guardians secured a spot in the 2026 playoffs with the win over the Boston Red Sox. (Photo by CJ Gunther/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians celebrated a playoff berth last night with a 1-0 win over the Red Sox, but the White Sox beat the Royals so Cleveland’s division lead remains one game with three to play.
Zack Meisel wrote a fun article with different player’s perspectives on the journey to the playoffs.
The Astros and Rangers both won last night. I would say the Astros have the advantage to win the division because they have three left with the Athletics and Texas has three against the Twins.
The Padres have 89 wins, the Cubs 88, and the Phillies 87 heading into the final series of the season. The Diamondbacks are teetering on the edge of elimination with 85 wins. The Phillies hold the tiebreaker over the Padres and the Cubs hold the tiebreaker over the Padres and Phillies. The six seed in the NL will play Atlanta.
Heading into the final weekend of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, two divisions are still up for grabs and there's chaos in the National League wild card race.
Entering Friday's games, the Cleveland Guardians have a one-game lead on the Chicago White Sox (who have clinched at least a wild-card spot) in the American League Central, while the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are tied at 79-80 atop the AL West, with Houston holding the tiebreaker.
In the NL wild card, the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies are just about locked in for the three spots – but it's wide-open as to where the trio will finish in the standings. The Padres enter Friday with the best record of the three.
The MLB playoffs get underway on a Tuesday, Sept. 29 with quadruple-header featuring four wild card series games. The best-of-five division series begins Saturday, Oct. 3.
Here's the latest look at the postseason bracket and standings:
Entering play Friday, Sept. 25
MLB playoff bracket 2026
#-division champion; *clinched at least a wild card spot
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 24: Josh Jung #6 of the Texas Rangers reacts after hitting a single against the New York Mets during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on September 24, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, LSB.
The Rangers bounced back with a series salvaging and perhaps season salvaging win over the Mets.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 02: Corbin Carroll #7 of the Arizona Diamondbacks steals second base ahead of the tag by Luis Arraez #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Chase Field on September 02, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today marks the beginning of the last series of the regular season across Major League Baseball. After this weekend, 18 teams will head home for the winter while the other 12 teams will officially begin the hunt for a championship with the MLB postseason beginning on Tuesday.
The Phillies of course are right in the thick of the postseason field, even if they have not as of yet clinched their spot officially. They are engaged in an extremely tight race for the three Wild Card slots in the National League, with the Phillies, Cubs, and Padres all separated by no more than two games. That’s who currently occupies the three slots with the Arizona Diamondbacks still alive and fighting for their lives on the outside looking in. This weekend will determine who is officially in as well as seeding. The latter of course will determine who plays where and when. The impending nor’easter hitting the east coast of the country will be a factor in all of this as well, as the Cubs are playing in Boston and have already had one of their games retooled into a doubleheader in anticipation of heavy rain all weekend.
There are numerous possibilities on where the Phillies will be by the end of the weekend. They could be playing one of the Cubs, Padres, Braves, or possibly the Diamondbacks. They could be playing in Atlanta, in Chicago, in San Diego, in Arizona, or even at home. There’s still a slight chance they could be one of those teams heading home for the winter, although that is unlikely considering the Padres and Diamondbacks play each other this weekend, making the math difficult for both teams to make the postseason while keeping the Phillies out.
So, where will the Phillies stand at the end of this final series of the regular season?
The Orioles were officially eliminated last night. The White Sox beat the Royals 9-1, just as they were supposed to, and clinched a Wild Card spot. Munetaka Murakami drank champagne and told us, lo and behold, he’s Japanese. And the Orioles, meanwhile, watched, helpless to their fate. At 78-81, the best they can do now on the season is finish .500.
Next year needs to be different, but the people are mostly going to be the same people. We’re not getting a new manager or a new GM: Craig Albernaz is back for a second season, and Mike Elias is staying put. Don’t hold your breath for another splashy winter, either. The club could and should, as our own Tyler commented, sign a front-line starter. But as for the lineup, they’ve already committed five years and $155 million to Pete Alonso, who, to be fair, has more than held up his end with 41 homers, an .871 OPS, and a newly-minted Most Valuable Oriole award. But it’s hard to picture ownership doing that twice, especially after trading Adley Rutschman at the deadline. So the reinforcements have to come from inside the house.
And we’d better hope that they do, if we fans are to have a prayer of watchable baseball next year. This season, despite working with an all-new hitting staff, the Orioles’ offense was great undiversified: a whole lot of swinging and not much else. As we enter the final weekend of the ’26 season, the offensive stats are gloomy. The Birds are hitting .233 as a team. Even accounting for the league-wide offensive downturn, that’s 28th of 30 teams in baseball, and only the Mariners are worse in the American League. Baltimore’s .707 OPS ranks 23rd in the majors and 11th of 15 in the AL. The home runs, to be fair, didn’t go missing: 194 of them, counting for 10th in MLB and fourth in the AL. But 41 of those belong to Pete Alonso. Take him out and the rest of the roster hit 153, which is about where the Blue Jays and Guardians finished, at the bottom. A lineup that can’t hit for average and gets on base at a .313 clip needs every one of those homers to come with runners on, and many didn’t.
If outside reinforcements aren’t forthcoming, this puts a lot of weight on the existing lineup. I want to highlight just a few key bats. Only one had a year to feel good about, and he’s the one we expected the least from.
Coby Mayo
Mayo came into the season a young hitter who hadn’t made it yet. Impressively, considering his peers who were higher-rank and round He’s leaving it as the only one who clearly did: .225/.293/.463 with 24 homers in 130 games, good for a 112 OPS+. The power is real. The on-base percentage is a problem, since under .300 is thin even for a slugger. If he gets that closer to .320 and keeps the pop, he’s a 30-homer bat in the middle of the order. He doesn’t need a bounceback; he just needs a repeat performance.
Tyler O’Neill
Gah,how dreary. Back in December 2024 outfielder Tyler O’Neill signed a three-year, $49.5 million deal that’s looking worse and worse, and he’s got one more year left on the deal. So far, the Orioles have gotten 139 games of .206-ish baseball for their troubles. O’Neill hit .199 with nine homers in 54 games in 2025, and .212/.300/.377 with 10 homers in 85 games this year (a 92 OPS+). His 2026 started with a concussion stint after he fainted from dehydration in April, and it ended on the IL with shoulder inflammation. The talent is there, but now he’s had 19 trips to the injured list across his career.
Colton Cowser
Cowser came into spring with a real shot at the everyday center field job. Then he hit .167/.255/.188 over his first 23 games, struck out more than 30 percent of the time, and spent the rest of the year platooning in center with Leody Taveras. To his credit, he added a leg kick, worked his way back, and finished at .223/.313/.365 with 13 homers (93 OPS+). Thanks to his defense, that was still worth 2.4 bWAR. Cowser has the lowest bar of anyone here. With his glove, a league-average bat makes him a solid regular. But the high-contact guy of his days back at Sam Houston State has gone MIA for now.
Jordan Westburg
Westburg didn’t play at all in 2026. He had an oblique issue in the spring, then elbow pain that a PRP injection didn’t fix, and he had Tommy John surgery in May. Elias says a return “as a full player in the early part of 2027 is very much in play.” The worry is what the talented Westburg’s floor really is. The third baseman broke his hand in 2024, a string of injuries held him to 85 games in 2025, and now he’s missed a full season. Healthy, he’s a 2024 All-Star who can play third or second. Whether he’ll be healthy is the real question.
Jackson Holliday
Holliday’s season went sideways before it started. He had hamate surgery in February, didn’t debut until May 19, and missed the final week with inflammation in his other wrist before undergoing surgery this week. In between, he hit .229/.300/.340 with seven homers, an 83 OPS+, in 98 games. Hamate injuries are notorious for sapping power even after the bone heals, so it’s fair to call this a lost year. Still, that’s three big-league seasons without a league-average bat, and his name came up in trade talks this summer. He turns 23 in December. That’s young, but the grace period won’t last forever.
Gunnar Henderson
Here’s the guy I was really thinking about when I wrote this. In 2026, Henderson hit .225/.310/.405, a 102 OPS+. That’s a precipitous drop from 2025 (.787 OPS) and tumble off a cliff from 2024, when he hit 37 homers, posted a 155 OPS+, and got into the MVP conversation. This year, Gunnar still put up 3.4 bWAR, because he played 157 games at shortstop and the glove was good. But the Orioles need more. They need Gunnar to be the best player on the team, especially now with Adley gone. There will be a lot of soul-searching about what happened to Gunnar Henderson’s lost offensive season this year, and what can be done for 2027. If the Orioles do get the 2024 Henderson back, the whole lineup looks a whole lot scarier. If they don’t, nothing else on this list can make up for it.
So, reasons for optimism?
The best-case scenario is that everyone here but Mayo has already been better than he was in 2026, and Mayo’s best is happening right now. Westburg’s absence and Holliday’s wrists are about injuries, not skill, and that kind of bad luck doesn’t usually hit twice in a row. The bad case is that every fan says “he’s been better before” about every slumping player, and the Orioles have now spent two years waiting for the young core to take the next step together. I’d bet on the core, but I don’t know if I’d bet much.
Did anything of note happen at Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon? On a day that looked absolutely beautiful and at a generally pleasant time of the year to be at the Friendly Confines, I hope a few of you were there for this one. For anyone who was, I’m genuinely jealous. I’ve spent many days and many nights in that park and have almost universally loved my time there. I’ll forever miss it.
It started with Pete Crow-Armstrong walking and stealing second to reach the 45/40 plateau. A season that is truly for the ages. So many words have been said about his season that anything I can come up with will be repetitive. But, I tip my hat to the youngster. His stardom was apparent quickly upon taking the field for the first time in the Cubs organization and with each stop, seemingly each passing month, that star has burned brighter and brighter. The friendship and bond that has developed between PCA and Seiya Suzuki has been terrific. So it is no surprise that Seiya found himself musing that he believed that Pete is capable of 50/50. No pressure, kid. That would be an incredible encore.
Maybe it shouldn’t be surprising, then, that Seiya hit a homer on Pete’s big day. It was the homer the Cubs needed. For those who weren’t watching the Marquee broadcast, you missed an uncanny statistic. I believe the stat was starting from August 1. The Cubs are 0-13 when they fail to homer. With Thursday’s win, they are 26-13 when they do. That’s an incredible number. They got the long ball and finally the pitching staff got the memo. That is, clearly the Cubs were good for two runs per game this weekend. They scored exactly two and no more in all three games. Matthew Boyd got the message and held the Marlins to one and two relievers made it hold up.
It’s the Marlins and not any of the five other NL teams that will eventually be in the playoffs, but it’s not nothing that over 27 regulation innings in this series, the Cub pitching staff held the Marlins to five total runs. You could spend the next week whining about what the Cubs aren’t. Or, you can imagine what this team is technically capable of and just enjoy the ride.
It wasn’t just Seiya behind the offense, though. And it wasn’t just a big day for Pete. There was definitely a feeling that Ian Happ was playing his last regular season home game as a Cub. I get that there is a significant longevity difference between Happ and Suzuki, but it was hard not to have the impression that it was Ian’s last game at home for the Cubs, but not for Seiya. Maybe I’m reading too much into something that wasn’t there. Ian is the longest-tenured Chicago athlete right now and received his due respect from the Wrigley faithful. Hat tip to Ian for the leadoff triple in the sixth inning that led to the decisive run. Nico Hoerner came up with the key hit to get him home and then Boyd, Daniel Palencia and Ryan Zeferjahn held it down.
What if, bear with me, Zeferjahn is good? You don’t have to squint a lot to see it. Now would be as good a time as ever for that to be true. Further, his team control stretches beyond this year and with no significant change to the free agency system could belong to the Cubs through the end of the decade. The stuff definitely can play. The only question is if he ever puts it all together. All the skills are there. It’s only a matter if he can find the sequencing and learn the skills of a leverage reliever, particularly the skills of a leverage reliever in a media crucible like Chicago.
For that matter, Daniel Palencia could also be with the Cubs through the end of the decade. With all of the Jed Hoyer can’t build a bullpen and the Cubs can’t develop relievers memes, it’s possible that he traded for both with the Cubs finishing the development on Palencia after obtaining him. Maybe not. Maybe one or neither never get there. But they could. The Cubs just might have two dynamic relievers in house. The conversation about development of pitchers can be one where people move the goal posts. How much involvement entails development? Palencia played six games total, 14.1 innings outside of the Cub organization. Did they not theoretically develop him?
Anyway, that’s an argument for another day. But I’m happy to devil’s advocate on behalf of the Cub organization. They are definitely not a top tier draft and development organization. But it’s disingenuous to say they are a bottom tier one either. There are definitely misses, but there are a lot of hits too. There are less home runs than you’d like. I won’t argue with that. But there are plenty of hits in draft and development too.
I was happy to see the team pop some corks. It’s a good experience for the team. It was so apropos that Craig Counsell took only a short amount of time to address the team in the locker room after the game. And he called out one group in the organization. It was the training staff. Talk about a group that had to work overtime this year and surely lost a lot of sleep at times.
On to Boston. Let’s look at the numbers.
Three Positives:
Boyd. Seven innings, one run. The hero the team needed. He started Opening Day and then he was the guy on the hill when they clinched a postseason appearance for a second straight year since he got here.
Seiya Suzuki seemed to have let some of the stress out of the park with his game tying homer.
Ian Happ with a triple leading off the sixth, leading to the second run.
Hat tips to Nico Hoerner, Daniel Palencia and Ryan Zeferjahn.
Game 159, September 24: Cubs 2, Marlins 1 (88-71)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Matthew Boyd (.318). 7 IP, 27 BF, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 R, 3 K (W 10-5)
WPA Play of the Game: Seiya Suzuki’s solo homer with one out in the fifth inning tied the game. (.163)
Marlins Play of the Game: Jacob Marsee singled with two outs and a runner on second in the third inning, giving the Marlins an early 1-0 lead. (.120)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 158 Winner: Dansby Swanson received 23 of 43 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Alex Bregman +26
Pete Crow-Armstrong +25.5
Shōta Imanaga +15
Ben Brown +13.5
Michael Conforto +12
Jameson Taillon -13
Dansby Swanson -15
Nico Hoerner -16
Caleb Thielbar -17.5
Seiya Suzuki -18
Scoreboard Watching: The Phillies lost. They are now a game behind the Cubs and the Cubs own the tie breaker. That puts the Cub magic number at 2 as to the Phillies. The Padres were playing late as I was writing. They were up 4-0. It looks like they’ll remain one ahead of the Cubs (with the Cubs still owning the tie breaker). That puts the Cub magic number at 4 as to the Padres. The Phillies have kept the Diamondbacks alive with their late struggles. The Diamondbacks are just two back of the Phillies.
Up Next: Phillies host the Rays who have locked up home field advantage through the AL playoffs. The Padres host those Diamondbacks who are trying to crash the party. That’s going to be a wild weekend. The Cubs travel to Boston where the Red Sox are already locked in as Wild Card two in the AL and will visit their old pals from New York for a best of three Wild Card series. Just for fun, the Cubs get to play a double header on Friday. If Google hasn’t misled me, 70% of doubleheaders in 2026 resulted in splits. I was surprised to see that historical data shows sweeps happen about as often as splits with the data bouncing around year to year. Sweeps have a slight historical edge.
We check back with Fangraphs. They have the teams splitting two close ones. Clay Holmes (6-8, 3.25) starts the first game. Clay is 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA in three September starts. The Cubs gave him a full week off before making this start. He was 2-2 with a 1.55 ERA in five August starts. We need August Holmes back. He didn’t face the Red Sox this year. David Peterson (9-8, 4.96) starts game two. David is 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA this month (4 starts) and was 1-0 with a 2.83 ERA in August (5 starts, one relief appearance). As I said the last time, Peterson a a Cub has either been excellent or terrible with nothing between really.
MLB.com is only listing one of the two Red Sox starters. That is Brayan Bello (6-7, 4.49). He’s made 25 appearances for the Sox, 10 of them starts. Last time out, he allowed one run to the Rays over eight innings. He’s been terrific in two September starts (1 run in 13 innings). He did have a relief outing where he allowed four runs in three innings of work. He’s bounced in and out of their rotation all year and he’s done well with it. It appears that Alec Gamboa is likely to start the other game. Gamboa is 1.0 with a 1.16 ERA over 31 innings. He’s made two starts in 20 appearances. His longest outing of the year is just four innings and he’s topped out at 63 pitches and that was back in July. He’s not thrown even 30 pitches this month. So this is a true opener, albeit a fairly dominant one.
The Cubs will not see the front end of the Red Sox rotation. It’s very likely they won’t see anyone with any kind of nagging injuries. I wouldn’t imagine they’ll put any of their relievers into particularly strenuous positions, though most of them will probably work at least a little to stay on rotation. Prepare for a weird weekend and both teams griping about the decision making.
Hopefully, the Cubs can find some wins in all of this.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 14: Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers before the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Friday, everyone. We’re heading into the final Tigers’ series of the season, and as devastating as it is to be done in September, we have the final bow of Justin Verlander to look forward to this weekend. It’s sure to be an emotional outing at the park (which we can only call Comerica a little bit longer), so hopefully if you have the opportunity, you’ll get out and enjoy the final few games we have left this year. Meanwhile, division rivals the White Sox have clinched the Central, which is a pretty wild feat if you consider how terrible they were the past two years, so you almost have to give them props for the bounceback. (Wouldn’t it be nice?)
We’ve got lots of fun stuff to watch if you’re at the office and don’t want to think about anything but baseball, including podcast episodes featuring Max Clark and Justin Verlander, so plenty to occupy you heading into the weekend, when we’ll be celebrating all things JV.
So let’s get right into it.
Detroit Tigers News
In case you missed this bit of delightful news yesterday.
The voices of Tigers baseball on television and radio for years to come!
The Tigers today announced multi-year contract extensions with Jason Benetti and Dan Dickerson. pic.twitter.com/i4ZnVD0sKL
Other teams such as the Tigers, Mets and Blue Jays are among the MLB organizations that actively scouted Shoki Oda and other prospects at the U18 Asian Baseball Championship, joining the Dodgers, Phillies, Giants and Yankees, among others.
If you want to get deep with Justin Verlander before his final game this weekend, he joined Mookie Betts for a one-hour podcast chat that’s available on YouTube.
MLB News
It’s hard not to like this guy.
"I AM JAPANESE!"
Munetaka Murakami is LOVING his first locker room celebration with the White Sox. 😭 pic.twitter.com/FsTVeqvE4J
And on the note of the White Sox, I think this fact would be really incredible if they weren’t the division rivals of the Tigers.
An interesting discussion starter…
I think the Marlins turning bullpen days into relief outings for SPs is a bet that after considering objective workload variables, injuries are either a) inevitable and/or b) random.
Good bet? I have no idea. But their thinking and application is electric. https://t.co/RfMFy5SrzT
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 10: Martín Pérez #33 of the Atlanta Braves looks on during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Thursday, September 10, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn May/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Martin Perez came from pretty much out of nowhere, including his own DFA earlier in the season, to chip in handily for the Braves. While he was more fortunate-and-or-availing-himself-of-the-defense than good (73 ERA- but a 104 FIP- and a 107 xFIP-), the Braves weren’t exactly awash in non-Chris Sale effective starters for much of the season, so Perez was far more helpful than not.
Given that, he was probably in the mix for serious innings consideration in any non-Sale, non-Tyler Mahle postseason game… until he hit the shelf with back tightness that hasn’t responded to treatment. The prognosis is unclear, as the earliest he could return would be NLDS Game 3, though there have been suggestions that this is really more of a NLCS-if-we-get-there situation.
Will the Braves miss Perez? That’s the question, I guess. I’m not sure they will, for two reasons.
First, the initial playoff around is a three-game set. There’s a 50 percent-ish chance that it gets settled in two games (the Sale and Mahle games) either way.
Next, the Braves have so many long men that unless you figure Perez was going to be left out for a traditional start, I’m not sure his pitching can’t just be replicated by guys the Braves likely wouldn’t use in the first two games except in a blowout situation anyway. Remember the 73/104/107 line? Well, Brent Suter has an 84/88/86 line on the season and a 44/84/90 line as a Brave. He routinely throws two-plus innings, and has done a fair bit of three-inning outings as well. Ray Kerr’s sample this season is tiny, but his line is 42/95/91 returning from Tommy John Surgery, and he has a 110/106/91 career line. In eight outings, he’s thrown at least three innings three different times. Some combination of Suter and Kerr might be even better than Perez, with the flexibility of inserting a righty in between them if needed.
Where the Braves could miss Perez is if they go Johnny Wholestaff in Game 3 and come out victorious. That might mean eating a loss, or at least an unfortunate pitching situation in the very next game they play… and without Perez, they might need to resort to JR Ritchie or something just to get through that one. But, those chances don’t seem very high compared to all the other outcomes that could happen.
So, with that — how ominously does his injury loom in your mind?
The Yankees will host the Wild Card Series starting next Tuesday -- likely against the Red Sox -- but there are plenty of question marks surrounding the team's roster heading into the postseason.
From potential returns to fringe players, manager Aaron Boone and the rest of the organization will have their work cut out for them to figure out the ideal 26-man roster going into the three-game series.
The Yanks still have three games against the Orioles this weekend, and while they are not playing for anything, they will look to rest starters, overworked bullpen arms, and even try out players at different positions to give them some versatility.
Going into our predicted roster, we're going to assume everyone stays healthy and the team will go up against the rival Red Sox...
Starting Pitchers (3)
Cam Schlittler: RHP Max Fried: LHP Gerrit Cole: RHP
This is the easiest prediction, as Boone has pretty much spelled out that Schlittler, Fried, and Cole will take the mound in the three-game series. Now the order can be debated -- we'd go with the obvious Schlittler-Fried-Cole order -- but saving Schlittler to either save the Yankees' season or close out the series is not a bad idea.
Bullpen (9)
David Bednar: RHP Brent Headrick: LHP Paul Blackburn: RHP Tim Hill: LHP Will Warren: RHP John Schreiber: RHP Ryan Yarbrough: LHP Carlos Rodon: LHP Carlos Lagrange: RHP
Here's where things can get interesting.
GM Brian Cashman didn't acquire a reliever at the deadline, as the price was too steep -- according to him -- and the plan always seemed to move one, two, or three of their starters to the 'pen once Cole, Fried, and Rodon came back from injury.
The combination of Warren and Ryan Weathers seemed like good bets to get on the roster, giving Boone a righty and a southpaw who can give multiple innings. But with Weathers' injury, he seems out of the running to make the roster until the ALDS. If Weathers were healthy enough, I'd replace Yarbrough or Hill with him.
That gives Rodon a chance to fill Weathers' role alongside Warren. Clarke Schmidt would also have been on the roster if he didn't recently land on the IL.
Lagrange is another interesting name. The flamethrower could be called up this weekend to give him some run before the postseason. The Yankees optioned Luis Gil following Thursday's win, so an arm will have to replace him. Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake told the media recently that the organization has had "a lot of talks" about promoting Lagrange.
That's good enough for me, and I could be going out on a limb, but Lagrange's stuff is too good to not see what he's got.
Aug 21, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Spencer Jones (78) celebrates his two run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays with center fielder Trent Grisham (12) during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Outfielders (4)
Cody Bellinger Spencer Jones Trent Grisham Heliot Ramos
Infielders (9)
Ben Rice: 1B/DH Paul Goldschmidt: 1B Luis Garcia, Jr.: 1B Austin Wells: C Ali Sanchez: C Jazz Chisholm, Jr.: 2B George Lombard, Jr.: SS Anthony Volpe: 2B/SS Ryan McMahon: 3B
Utility (1)
Jose Caballero: 3B/2B/SS/OF
Let's get the obvious omission out of the way.
I don't believe Aaron Judge will be on the roster, nor should he. Simply, I don't trust him playing in the outfield right now, and if he has to DH, that clogs up first base and the DH spots. It's also not like he was mashing the ball when he returned from his rib injury (4-for-23 with 13 strikeouts, one walk, and one home run).
Let Judge rest up, and hopefully he's well enough to play the outfield in the ALDS should New York advance.
I feel the same about Giancarlo Stanton. He clogs up the DH/1B spot and would only be useful in a pinch-hit opportunity. That leaves Ramos, Jones, Bellinger, and a returning Grisham to man the outfield. Caballero can also play out there in a pinch.
As for the infield, Amed Rosario is the odd man out. He's redundant with McMahon and Caballero able to play third base. And Volpe learning the position gives the Yankees another right-handed option.
