It's once again clinching season in Major League Baseball.
The postseason is rapidly approaching, and the field for this year's World Series race is starting to take shape. While much of the National League picture appears close to being settled, several American League races remain wide open, with division titles, wild-card spots and postseason seeding still up for grabs.
Here's a look at every team that has clinched a playoff berth, which clubs are closing in and what the postseason bracket would look like if the season ended today.
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - MARCH 18: Cooper Flemming (11) of the Tampa Bay Rays tags a runner out at second base during a minor league spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles on March 18, 2026 at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This was the 23rd week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Monday, September 14th).
According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), prospect Theo Gillen tops the system and might just find himself in the running for Minor League Player of the Year. Gillen ranks 4th among all minor leaguers while Caden Bodine ranks 11th.
Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa is the top hurler in the system. Over his first professional season, Cremarosa has a 2.82 ERA | 3.02 FIP with a 29.8 K% & 6.0 BB% over 76.2 IP in Single-A. FanGraphs slotted the 22-year old as the 30th top prospect in the Rays system during their midseason rankings.
RUMBLINGS
The Bowling Green Hot Rods lost to the Winston-Salem Dash in the South Division portion of the South Atlantic League playoffs.
Grady Emerson returned to action to pinch run for the Charleston River Dogs a few days after leaving a game early after being hit by a pitch
The Charleston River Dogs are currently down 1 game in a best of 3 series with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers in the Single-A Carolina League Championship Series
Team Offensive Leaders: AVG: .291, Tony Santa Maria OBP: .414, Ryan McCoy SLG: .541, Ryan McCoy HR: 21, Nathan Flewelling wRC+: 145, Ryan McCoy SB: 55, Tony Santa Maria
Bolduc appeared to be an important part of the Habs' core, but as the off-season progressed, trade rumors began to sprout, and uncertainty around his future with the organization grew. The public may have felt that way, but internally, the organization seemed to expect to complete a contract sooner or later.
Now, the Canadiens have signed their 23-year-old left-handed winger to the 2030 season, when he'll become a UFA at 27.
Bolduc has played two full seasons in the NHL, one with the Canadiens and one with the Blues, as well as a short 25-game stint with the Blues in 2023-24.
With the Blues, Bolduc scored 24 goals and 45 points in 97 games, finishing eighth in Calder Trophy voting during the 2024-25 season. After his impressive rookie season, he was dealt to Montreal in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux.
The trade filled needs for both teams, as the Habs needed middle-six depth and the Blues needed to add younger pieces to their defense core.
Bolduc has received a mid-term contract, just a bit longer than a standard bridge deal that would keep him an RFA, but shorter than a long-term deal. Mailloux, on the other hand, received a one-year contract, asking him to prove his late-year resurgence is sustainable.
As the years go by, it will be interesting to see how the deal shakes out.
For now, Bolduc will continue to be a physical middle-six winger with the potential to score 20 goals and be a depth producer on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
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The Buffalo Sabres have been proactive with a number of their own players in getting them signed to long-term extensions prior to them getting close to becoming eligible for an offer sheet or unrestricted free agency. Previously, the club under former GM Kevyn Adams signed core players Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Matias Samuelsson locked up long-term. New GM Jarmo Kekalainen has followed suit with Zach Benson, Josh Doan and Beck Malenstyn.
With the expiration of the previous collective bargaining contract structure on September 15, Kekalainen was able to get another of his promising young forwards to commit to a multi-year deal. The Sabres announced on Monday they signing of center Noah Ostlund to an eight-year, $52.8 million deal ($6.6 million AAV).
The 22-year-old posted 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 60 games as a rookie, and was dependable at both ends of the ice, which made him a favorite of Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff in the second half of last season.
“He’s a coach’s dream, because those are the type of players you don’t really have to coach,” Ruff said. “He pretty well knows where he’s going almost every time. Very few times in the D zone does he get out of position.”
As with most of their long-term deals, Buffalo could get paid off if their projections on Ostlund are correct. With the salary cap exploding, other clubs are rolling the dice on young forwards with potential who have not made their mark in the NHL yet.
The Pittsburgh Penguins did so with winger Ville Koivunen, who they signed to an eight-year, $32 million contract extension ($4 million AAV) after only 47 games of NHL experience and just 14 career points. Boston did so last week with center Fraser Minten, locking up the 22-year-old to a seven-year, $50.4 million deal ($7.2 million AAV).
Buffalo has both Jiri Kulich and Jack Quinn entering the final year of their contracts before becoming restricted free agents, but with Kulich’s health concerns, it is likely the Sabres want further evidence before committing to him as well.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 10: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round Two Game Four of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 10, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
For the first time in roughly forever, the Eastern Conference appears to be loaded this year. The reigning champion New York Knicks are atop the conference for now, but the Sixers and others will be nipping at their heels all season as they vie for East supremacy.
The Sixers loaded up by adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown this offseason, but they were hardly the only East team to make a major splash. The Miami Heat landed Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Toronto Raptors landed Kawhi Leonard (we think?). The Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers didn’t make any additions on that level, but Mitchell Robinson, Peyton Watson and our beloved Kelly Oubre Jr., respectively, are notable adds nevertheless.
Now that the dust has (mostly) settled on the offense, how does the new-look East stack up, and who’s the biggest threat to the Sixers this year? We’ve ranked the top five based on their current rosters and the potential matchup problems that they could present.
TBD: Toronto Raptors
Assuming the Kawhi trade eventually goes through at some point, the Raptors could be a sleeping giant in the East.
Scottie Barnes is already one of the NBA’s most versatile young forwards. He finished fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year race last season and averaged a well-rounded 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. He might be miscast as a No. 1 option, but he should be a strong No. 2 alongside Leonard.
Between Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, the Raptors would have plenty of supplemental scoring around that duo. But the truly terrifying prospect is the three-man combination of Leonard, Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. That type of length on defense could give the Sixers’ guards and wings plenty of trouble.
Jakob Poeltl is the wild card for Toronto, particularly with Sandro Mamukelashvili now with the Los Angeles Lakers. Poeltl has missed at least 25 games in each of the past three seasons, and his balky back limited him to a career-low 46 games last year. The Raptors don’t have much (any?) proven frontcourt depth behind him, which perhaps makes this a matchup tailor-made for Embiid in particular to dominate.
If (when?) the Leonard trade goes through, the Raptors figure to be one of the Sixers’ biggest threats. However, Marc Stein of The Stein Line recently reported that the Clippers’ delay in consummating the trade “has naturally led some league observers to wonder aloud whether the Clippers are holding off—or considering something even more drastic—to spite Leonard for so readily accepting the league’s punishment rather than invoking his right to pursue an appeal.”
Therefore, they land in the TBD category for now.
Honorable Mention: Miami Heat
Any team with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo can’t be dismissed outright. But with all due respect to Simone Fontecchio, the Heat don’t have much else for the Sixers to fear.
Could the Heat patch together a half-decent rotation with Giannis, Bam, Fontecchio, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Tim Hardaway Jr., Klay Thompson, Bobby Portis and Nick Richards? Sure. Is their rotation a house of cards that will collapse if either Giannis or Bam miss significant time? It sure seems that way.
The Giannis-Bam pairing should give the Heat a formidable defensive backbone, but it’s fair to wonder how they’ll fit together offensively. Bam began firing threes at a relatively high volume last year, but he knocked down only 31.8 percent of them, and Giannis isn’t a great three-point shooter either. Can they avoid getting in one another’s way?
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is the right man to figure out that problem, but the loss of Norman Powell and Tyler Herro could cramp Miami’s offensive spacing, barring a turn-back-the-clock type of season from Thompson. If the Heat and Sixers clashed in the playoffs, the Heat’s best chance to win might be turning the series into a rock fight.
But until Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson shows that he’s willing to bench James Harden in high-leverage moments, it’s hard to have much faith in his squad as a legit threat this year.
The Cavs held a 22-point lead over the Knicks in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Then Jalen Brunson started playing Hunt The Bozo with James Harden, and the rest was history. The Cavs wound up getting swept even though Donovan Mitchell averaged 27.3 points per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field in that series.
The Cavs did add Watson this offseason, but they also lost Max Strus, Dean Wade and Dennis Schröder, all of whom played roles off the bench for them in the playoffs. Their starting five is solid, and Sam Merill and Jaylon Tyson are nice to have off the bench, but their depth beyond that is largely unproven.
Maybe this is the year that Evan Mobley actually takes The Leap that’s been promised for the last few years and the Cavs are much more of an actual title threat than anticipated this season. But Harden has nowhere to hide defensively against the Sixers in particular, and Atkinson doesn’t have a ton of great options off the bench to replace him, either.
4. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons surged to the top of the East with a 60-win season last year, but they proved to be more of the 82-game juggernaut than the 16-game variety once the playoffs began. They barely squeaked by the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic in the opening round and lost to the Cavaliers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Jalen Duren, who remains in restricted-free-agency purgatory, went from an All-NBA regular season to looking like Jahlil Okafor 2.0 in the playoffs. His lack of a bag on offense made him a relative non-factor both against Orlando and Cleveland, which could be a major problem against Joel Embiid if the Pistons cross paths with the Sixers in the playoffs.
The Pistons moved on from Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart and Caris LeVert this offseason and brought in John Collins, Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince and Gary Harris to boost their offensive floor spacing. Those additions should help the Pistons be more well-balanced, but they still may be overly reliant on Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham is one of the league’s best young guards, but Detroit is short on players who can help him generate offense. That could prove problematic against the Sixers in particular since they can alternate between throwing Brown, LeBron, Wade and VJ Edgecombe at him.
3. Boston Celtics
The Celtics have been getting buried all offseason for trading Brown to the Sixers for Paul George and a pair of first-round picks, but you know who isn’t burying them? Oddsmakers. They have Boston with the third-best odds to win the East, trailing only the Knicks and Sixers.
It’s easy to see the rationale. George won’t generate as much rim pressure as Brown, but he’s an accurate, high-volume three-point shooter. He should fit perfectly with Joe Mazzulla’s Math Ball. And while Neemias Queta emerged as a legitimate starting-caliber center last year, the Celtics were short on frontcourt depth behind him. That won’t be the case this year after they spent their non-taxpayer mid-level exception on Robinson.
Jayson Tatum will now be roughly 18 months removed from his Achilles tear once the season tips off, and he already got about a month’s worth of games under his belt last year to shake the rust off. He should be all systems go on opening night. And considering that they apparently have Jalen Brunson 2.0 in Payton Pritchard, the Celtics might not even miss Brown this year.
We might be giving too much respect to Boston here, but 40 years worth of trauma—this past spring notwithstanding—does that to a person. But hey, remember when they blew a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history last year? Good times.
2. Indiana Pacers
The perception of the Pacers heading into this season has me feeling like I’m taking crazy pills. They’re below the Orlando Magic in terms of their odds to win the East. What are we doing here?
Yes, Tyrese Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 season to recover from the torn Achilles that he suffered in the 2025 NBA Finals. He’ll likely need to spend the early part of this season shaking off rust and getting back into rhythm. But as Tatum showed last year, Achilles injuries are hardly the career death sentence that they once were.
Meanwhile, the Pacers are bringing back almost everyone from the roster that was one game away from winning the 2024-25 NBA championship. Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner are the only key rotation players from that squad who are no longer in Indiana. The Pacers have since replaced them with Oubre and Ivica Zubac, respectively.
It’s fair to wonder how the more half-court-oriented Zubac will fit with Indiana’s preference to push the pace and fly up and down the floor. He’s also a non-factor from deep, unlike Turner, although he’ll be far more of a lob threat for Haliburton in pick-and-rolls.
The Pacers might not have the top of top-end talent as Cleveland or Miami, and they might not finish with a top-four seed in the East. More than anything else, this is a bet on their style of play. They ran teams ragged in the 2025 playoffs by leaning into their pace and depth. If Nick Nurse falls into the trap of shortening his rotation and overplaying his starters, the Sixers might gas out in the fourth quarter of a series against Indiana.
1. New York Knicks
As the defending champions, the Knicks get this spot by default. After all, they’re fresh off one of the most dominant playoff runs in recent history, which made their roller-coaster regular season a distant memory by June.
Jalen Brunson is one of the best guards in the NBA, bar none. Karl-Anthony Towns’ ability to run the Knicks’ offense from the high post was the changeup that unlocked their title run. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are both excellent two-way wings. Josh Hart is the Swiss-army-knife glue guy who makes everything click into place for New York.
The Knicks did lose Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti this offseason, although they signed Andre Drummond to replace them. They also have Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson off the bench. However, they don’t have a ton of forward depth behind Anunoby and Bridges, barring a massive leap from Mo Diawara or Pacôme Dadiet.
The Sixers should be far better equipped to combat the Knicks this season than they were in last year’s playoffs, when they got demoralizingly swept out of the second round. If nothing else, the excitement around this year’s team should (hopefully) convince more Philadelphians not to sell their tickets to Knicks fans.
By mid-April, it’s entirely possible that another team will have supplanted the Knicks as the Sixers’ biggest threat in the East. But as the ancient philosopher Ric Flair once said, to be the man, you’ve gotta beat the man. Until further notice, the reigning champions hold that title.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 02: Max Clark #15 of the Detroit Tigers bats during a game between the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers on September 2, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When Kevin McGonigle was promoted to the Detroit Tigers Opening Day roster late in spring training, there was plenty of excitement, and despite a failure of a season from a team perspective, the rookie has been as good as advertised and still leads AL Rookie of the Year polling. The follow up question from many was when would Max Clark, the Tigers second best prospect, join his buddy in the big leagues. It took time, but the Tigers decision to give Clark plenty of Triple-A time this season has been vindicated by his all-around strong showing since his promotion back on July 31.
The Clark situation was a bit tricky to explain in May when the Tigers were busy getting their faces rubbed into the mud by just about anyone they faced. Apart from McGonigle himself, Clark was the best pure hitting prospect the Tigers have had in decades. His swinging strike rates of 6.3 percent at Double-A Erie and 5.4 in Triple-A were even a bit better than McGonigle’s numbers. On the other hand, Clark was still working on improving against left-handed pitching, and his route running and base stealing abilities were still predicated more on pure speed rather than technique. These were the areas the Tigers wanted him to improve on with manager Gary Jones and the Mud Hens’ staff, and he certainly did so. The time to refine his game got the 21-year-old well prepared for the major leagues, and the proof is in the numbers already.
Clark has played 39 games and now has 154 plate appearances, so he’s got a quarter of a regular season under his belt. He’s already been worth 1.2 fWAR, putting him pretty close to a 5 WAR pace. He’s hitting .274/.355/.444 with a 124 wRC+, meaning he’s been 24 percent better than a league average hitter’s run production. Along with three homers, three triples, and eight doubles, Clark also has five stolen bases now, and as he’s gotten more comfortable, the level of aggression on the basepaths is increasing. He’s also dropped some good bunts down, showing the versatility in his game, and has had really good success against left-handed pitching, all elements the Tigers wanted to see him develop this season.
Here are Clark’s slash lines in his splits.
RHP: .230/.316/.368 for a .684 OPS
LHP: .356/.420/.600 for a 1.020 OPS
This isn’t going to last. The wide disparity in splits and some struggles against right-handed pitching are going to even out. Clark is unlikely to buck the heavy weight of platoon splits and actually be better against left-handed pitching, but this is something he focused on improving this season, and he’s being rewarded right now.
Results based hitting statistics are treacherous at this early stage. There will likely be some ups and downs in his age 22 season next year. Still, evidence that Clark is already thriving at the major league level is found a little deeper. His 93.4 percent in-zone contact rate is outstanding, as is his 6.8 percent swinging strike rate. He is chasing more, with a 29.6 outside the zone swing percentage compared with 20.7 percent at Triple-A, but that’s still a decent mark and should improve. Generally hitters chase more in the bigs, but not quite to this degree, especially in a player who doesn’t swing and miss much, so the odds are very good that as Clark gets acclimated, he’ll do an even better job being selective.
Physically, the tools are as advertised. Clark has good bat speed at 73.4 mph average and basically average swing length, placing him just inside the top 75 qualified hitters in baseball in that regard. His average sprint speed to first is 28.6 feet per second, which is good though not great. However, his top line marks this season have been just outside of elite territory just shy of 30 feet per second. He’s hit one ball 111.3 mph for his top exit velocity of the year in Triple-A, putting him into plus raw power territory, although he doesn’t sell out for big swings often enough for that to matter too much. As with McGonigle, it’s more just about barrelling up more balls in the air, especially to the pull side, but 20 home run seasons in his prime still seem like a reasonable expectation even if we don’t see that for another 2-3 years.
Defensively, Clark has already been worth four Outs Above Average, with only 16 players this season collecting more OAA in center field. That’s despite the fact that Clark has only played a quarter of a season. This is a center fielder who should eventually challenge top dogs like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ceddane Rafaela for the title of best in baseball.
Perhaps the element of Max Clark that is most important to his future success, and finally getting its due, is his baseball intelligence and absolute love for the game, in contrast to the accusations of hot doggery and immaturity leveled against him briefly after dropping a pair of high fly balls in the notorious spring skies down in Lakeland.
As anyone who followed Clark closely in high school and through the minor league knows, Clark is one of the most baseball obsessed players around, ready to give you a detailed scouting report on every notable player he’s competed against from memory. He breaks down at-bats, the finer details of defense and base stealing, like a successful 10-year veteran with an eye toward a future managerial career, and he has the communication skills to match. His teammates are happy to let him do the talking, because he’s very good at it, and as a result, they don’t have to say anything. A team leader is under development.
You can see him calculating his way through at-bats, learning when to use his time out to recalibrate, and when to use it to freeze a pitcher who is fighting his control. As he’s settled in, the mind games Clark is capable of playing, like feigning bunt to draw in the infield, or setting up one way in the box for the opposing catcher to see, and then adjusting slightly just as a pitcher goes into his delivery, or simply being a pest at first base to draw attention and throws from the pitcher, have become more prominent. He’s only going to get more comfortable and able to put his speed to work as he gets to know the league and settle in further as a bona vide big leaguer next year.
It was clear early on in his pro career that Clark was going to be a valuable player just on the basis of his speed, defense, and pure contact hitter abilities. That gave him a strong floor as a prospect, but just about everything else we hoped for is coming to fruition. His refinements defensively and in his base running have been impressive to watch unfold, but he’s also added strength and bat speed and now represents a fairly significant power threat to go with the ability to put the ball in play a lot and run. All the tools are in place for Max Clark to be an All-Star caliber player for years to come.
However, the real kicker always comes back to his competitive intensity and baseball intelligence. For all the flash, and his nickname is “Spark” after all, Clark is a true team player and leader, who just wants to win baseball games by any legal means necessary.
One series of moments in the weekend series sweep of the Colorado Rockies really brought this home. In the bottom of the fifth inning in Friday’s 6-2 victory, Clark fouled off a first pitch cutter from right-hander Mason Adams, and then watched as Adams fished for the outer edge of the plate away with the next three pitches. Clark might have expected a fastball up or a breaking ball down in a 1-2 count, but instead, Adams came back in under his hands with a 93 mph fastball, and Clark was not surprised. Instead he got to it and launched a game tying solo shot over the right field wall.
An inning later, he was on first base after getting hit by a pitch after Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler had powered the Tigers to a 4-1 lead. Recognizing that pitcher Nick Frasso was really struggling to locate and wasn’t paying much attention to anything else, Clark quickly stole second base, and then took third and then home on two more wild pitches from Frasso. The young rookie could’ve been forgiven if he bounced exuberantly into the dugout, feeling himself and enjoying the moment. Instead, he scored, gave thanks for a brief moment, and then went directly to Zach McKinstry in the on-deck circle to pass on some intel on Frasso.
A small moment, but an instructive one. Clark is always alert and thinking out there, trying to find those extra edges that lead to victory. This is why it’s so easy to believe that, whatever struggles may come, and they come for every player, Max Clark is going to survive them and thrive. He has all the baseball ability you could ask for in a player physically, speed, power, insane hand-eye coordination, agility, but the asset that will ensure he gets everything out of his raw ability is that intelligence and obsessive love for the game in all its detail and nuance.
Clark continues to move up in A.J. Hinch’s lineup hierarchy, now batting sixth quite a bit, but we all know what we’re looking at here. Max Clark is perfectly suited to be the Tigers’ leadoff hitter in 2027, and it would be nice to see Hinch turn the job over to him over the final two weeks and just let him run with it.
Either way, Max Clark is here to stay and is off to a very fine start to his major league career. His buddy Kevin may always outshine him a bit, but the Tigers now have an extremely dynamic duo to lead this team over the next decade. Hopefully an extension offer is in the works. As frustrating and miserable as the 2026 season has been at times, the arrival of the best prospect duo since Tram and Lou makes it a lot easier to bear. This season marks the end of a decent little run for the franchise, but it’s just the beginning for a young, athletic Tigers team now taking shape.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 01: Troy Johnston #20 of the Colorado Rockies throws the ball prior to the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ray Bahner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, Purple Rowers!
As a reminder, we are doing some experimenting with our morning article lineups over the next few days. Earlier this morning, you read Scaling the Rocks, which features news and links from both the Rockies as well as around baseball.
This is the Rockpile, which will continue to be our daily feature story.
And finally, in two hours you will be able to read the daily Pebble Report, featuring all of the minor league action from the previous day.
You’ll still get the same information, but it’ll be broken into smaller chunks instead of one long thread.
This is not something we’ll run regularly at this time, as we’re still in the experimentation phase, but we just wanted to make you aware.
Troy Johnston made his long-awaited MLB debut last season on July 29 for the Miami Marlins at age 29. He was drafted in the 17th round of the 2019 draft (501st overall) after playing three years at Gonzaga University, and journeyed through the Marlins’ minor league system, including 3.5 seasons in Triple-A Jacksonville from 2022-2025.
Johnston played 44 games with the Marlins in 2025 before being placed on waivers at the end of the season and claimed by the Rockies. Despite a torrid spring training that saw him hit .375/.438/.589 through 23 games, Johnston almost didn’t make the Opening Day roster. An injury to Tyler Freeman opened up the spot, and he has not looked back. But Johnston is enjoying his first full MLB season, and finding success as a ‘veteran rookie.’
“It’s a dream come true,” Johnston said.
“It’s hard to complain when you’re in the big leagues. I think about all the times I wanted to quit and I’m sitting in Triple-A or Double-A and I’m like, ‘This sucks. I hate hit. I’m just going to keep grinding it out.‘ But to be here in this locker room and get to live my dream everyday, it’s all worth it.”
He is also finding the balance of being a 29-year-old player who only has one year of service time — both leaning on his veteran baseball experiences and his new MLB player experiences.
“It’s a weird, slippery slope,” he said.
“Sometimes, I’ll take things too far, and then I won’t take things far enough, and I’ll step in when I need to and then I’ll stay back when I don’t. It’s kind of a part of knowing where my role is and trying to do my best to kind of read the room.
“And whatever the team needs me to do, I’m willing to do,” he continued, “whether that’s take control and do certain things (or if) they want me to stay back. (If) they want me to enforce certain things. I’m willing to do whatever they want. And for me, yeah I’m older and yeah I do have a year of service time but I’ve been around baseball enough. I kind of know how people work and how this game works.”
Johnston has found some success in Colorado, hitting .280/.350/.395 with 29 doubles, one triple, four homers and 48 RBI in 121 games. Up until the All-Star break, he was hitting .301, but a challenging July dipped his average from .313 on July 1st to .283 on July 31st. He had a hot August, though, slashing .319/.407/.511 through 17 games, but has had a cold start to September. In just six games in September, Johnston has gone 3-for-18 (.167) with one double, one RBI, one walk and seven strikeouts.
But he credits his overall success to hitting coach Brett Pill, and his unique approach to coaching.
“Pill and I talk about (a lot). A lot of the way that my brain works is that I don’t like to live, breathe, eat and, like, be baseball. Baseball is what I do, it’s not who I am,” he said. “I have a lot of (heavy) interests outside of baseball, and I really focus on those, and that helps me be a better baseball player because I’m not overindulging in the sport and overindulging what’s going on. I try to leave baseball at the field. I never bring it home, even in the mornings. That’s been a real key to the success that I’ve had in the past.”
Specifically, Johnston and Pill talk about golf and the similarities between a golf swing and a baseball swing.
“We talk about the way that long drivers work and the way that golfers use their bodies,” he continued, “because if you look at professional golfers, it’s very similar to the way that baseball players use their bodies. The only difference is that we use a little bit of momentum, or a little bit of a timing mechanism, and we have a moving target. They don’t, but at impact and at swing, they’re very, very similar, and I understand that very well. So Pill will talk to me quite a bit about golf swings and different things like that, and that really helps me click.”
He also credits his success to the team’s to manager Warren Schaeffer.
“He’s unbelievable. What a leader!” Johnston exclaimed. “I have nothing but good things to say about him. What an absolute leader! He cares so much about his players and so much about winning. It’s fresh, it’s new, I love it.
“It’s one of the special things you get in this game because there’s so many people that really, honestly, are there to progress in their own career and progress as a coach and they’re going to do what they need to (in order) to do that,” he continued. “But Schaeffer’s at the highest level, and all he wants to do is win and make sure that (we) as players have as much success as possible. And so to have a manager like that and have a coach like that, it’s just absolutely fantastic to have him as a leader.”
Johnston had some really early success, hitting .318 through 24 games in April. That also included his favorite play of the season.
“I had the go-ahead two-run double against the Dodgers (on April 18) and we ended up winning,” Johnston said. “It was off Will Klein. I think that’s one of my favorite memories from this year.”
His other favorite moment was his first homer as a Rockie, which came on March 30th in Toronto.
“I was 0-for-2 and looking for a certain pitch,” he recalled. “[The Blue Jays] brought in another guy, and I was like, ‘Alright, I”m going to look for a curveball here and do my best. And all of a sudden, [Spencer Miles] threw me a curveball!
“I hit it out, we took the lead, and after that we scored, like, 10. So it was awesome to be a part of that and cement myself in at least that win that day. But to help the team and do what they need me to do and have so much fun, that’s awesome.”
But Johnston has had success on the pitcher’s mound in 2026, as well.
“One of my favorite things was that I did get to pitch a little bit, and it was so much fun because I throw this little ‘air cutter’ that just kind of goes across the plate,” he laughed. “I don’t throw it very hard — I don’t throw hard in general — and so it’s fun to be able to kind of mess around and do that.”
“I didn’t realize how hard it is,” he said. “The strike zone is very, very small. And credit to every pitcher out there that can throw strikes like that. It’s absolutely incredible because when you’re at the plate, everything looks like a strike. And there’s some thing that never look like a strike. But when you’re up on the mound and you’re looking down, you’re like, ‘I don’t even know where the strike zone is.’ And I’m throwing it and I’m not getting calls and I’m like, ‘That looks like a strike from up here!’
“But it’s very difficult,” he said. “So all the kudos to all the pitchers out there that can throw strikes like that. It’s very impressive.”
But the biggest adjustment Johnston made in 2026 that he’s most proud of is taking care of his mental health.
“My mental approach to the game has been better this year than it has in years past, and I think that’s allowed me to play very free. I think that’s the thing I’m most proud of,” he said. “Numbers are going to come, numbers are going to go. Successes and failures are all part of the game. But I think I’ve stayed pretty level-headed and I’ve tried my best to know my mental capacity can only take so much. And so trying to out there and just be an actual human being and then come to the field and be a baseball player. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
There are only 13 games left in the season, and Johnston will be a free agent at the end of it. It’s hard to say what the future holds for him, but if nothing else, we’ll miss Johnston’s personality and knack for keeping things light in the clubhouse. Who knows — maybe we’ll see him in the broadcast booth in the near future.
But for now, enjoy some of this year’s Troy Johnston personality highlights:
The Cubs took two of three from the Pirates after getting swept in Milwaukee and entering Monday’s action hold the top wild card spot by virtue of their tiebreaker over the Phillies. The Cubs’ magic number to clinch any postseason spot is now 8.
Here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs over the past week.
Three up
Alex Bregman continues his hot second half
The Cubs third baseman batted .400/.520/.700 (8-for-20) over the six games with three doubles, a home run, three walks and only one strikeout. He began getting hot two games before the All-Star break and over that 55-game span is batting .312/.391/.638 (68-for-218) with 17 doubles, 18 home runs, 49 RBI and 45 runs scored.
Busch didn’t start the first game at Milwaukee and pinch-hit, going 0-for-1. In the five games since then: .353/.429/.588 (6-for-17) with a double, a home run, three walks, six RBI and five runs scored.
It would be great to have Busch’s bat in the postseason as hot as it was last October, when he hit four home runs in eight games.
Pedro Ramirez broke out of his slump
In last week’s edition of this feature I noted that Ramirez was in an 0-for-18 slump.
He broke out of that this week by batting .250/.286/.650 (5-for-20). Not much of a batting average — but two of the five hits were home runs. He added two doubles and seven runs scored.
I’m going to give a cautious hat tip to Daniel Palencia, whose outing on Sunday was his best since returning from the injured list. He hit 100 miles per hour for the first time and got five whiffs among 18 pitches thrown. A healthy, productive Palencia would be a huge boost to the bullpen.
Three down
Ian Happ is slumping again
After hitting pretty well most of August, Happ is in a September slide.
Over the six games, he batted .083/.389/.083 (1-for-12). The OBP looks good due to seven walks drawn over the week. But Happ also left one game early due to what was reported as a foot issue and didn’t start the first game of the week in Milwaukee.
As is the case for many Cubs, a healthy and productive Happ would be a huge help in October.
Kevin Gausman, woof
Gausman has had several very good starts for the Cubs. His last one, last Wednesday against the Brewers, was not one of those. He allowed seven runs (six earned) in four innings and got taken deep three times. It was a bit surprising, as he had held the same Brewers to one run in seven innings just six days earlier at Wrigley Field.
His next start comes up Tuesday against the Braves. He’s made three starts at Wrigley since joining the Cubs. The other two (against the White Sox and Diamondbacks) were shaky. Hopefully, this upcoming start will be better than that.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had a quiet week
The presumptive National League MVP hit his 41st home run last Monday in Milwaukee.
In the five games since then PCA is batting just .150/.227/.150 (3-for-20) with seven strikeouts.
He does seem to go through stretches like this from time to time. It would be good for him and the team if he’d come out of it starting Monday against Atlanta. He’s four stolen bases away from a 40/40 season, which would be the seventh such year ever and first for a Cub.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 12: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets runs the bases after his eighth inning grand slam home run against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 12, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.
MONDAY
Jonah Tong recorded 12 whiffs through two innings, tying for the most whiffs in the first two innings of a game by a Mets pitcher in the Statcast era (since 2015). The record was set by Noah Syndergaard on April 15, 2018, against the Brewers, and matched by Jacob deGrom on July 14, 2019, in Miami.
TUESDAY
Nate Lavender recorded a 14th straight scoreless appearance to begin his career, marking the second-most for a Mets pitcher behind Joe Smith (17 in 2007). Lavender’s streak would come to an end on Wednesday night.
Brett Baty recorded an extra-base hit in five straight games for the first time in his career, and became the first Met to do so since Francisco Lindor from August 13-19, 2025.
WEDNESDAY
With his 23rd stolen baseof the season, A.J. Ewing broke a tie with Lee Mazzilli and teammate Carson Benge for the second-most stolen bases by a rookie in franchise history, trailing only Mookie Wilson (24 in 1981).
The Mets won despite allowing 14 runs for the first time in franchise history. They were previously 0-86 in games in which they allowed 14+ runs. The Mets also won despite allowing 20 hits for the first time in franchise history. They were previously 0-24 in games in which they allowed 20+ hits. It was the first time a team won despite allowing 20+ hits since…exactly three years earlier, when the Orioles beat the Red Sox 13-12 on September 9, 2023.
The Mets posted multiple six-run innings in the same game for the first time since August 29, 2025, in Jonah Tong’s debut at Citi Field (also against the Marlins).
For the first time in franchise history, the Mets won a game in which they allowed three or more runs in three different innings.
FRIDAY
Carson Benge recorded his 10th outfield assist, tied with Cleon Jones for the fourth-most by a Mets rookie behind Juan Lagares (15 in 2013), Rod Gaspar (12 in 1969), and Tsuyoshi Shinjo (12 in 2001). (source: Anthony DiComo on X)
Cody Bellinger’s homer marked the first home run hit off Nolan McLean’s curveball since the right-hander debuted in the big leagues. It was just the fourth extra-base hit, along with an Ian Happ double on June 24, an Ozzie Albies double on July 5, and a Trea Turner double on July 19.
SATURDAY
The Mets hit six home runs in a Subway Series game for the first time in franchise history. The Yankees had done it once before against the Mets on July 10, 1999, in a 9-8 Mets win at Shea Stadium thanks to Matt Franco’s walk-off single off Mariano Rivera.
Carson Benge’s fifth-inning RBI single marked his 147th hit of the season, moving him past Ty Wigginton and into second place on the Mets’ rookie hits leaderboard, trailing only Pete Alonso (155 in 2019).
Francisco Lindor reached 20 home runs for the 9th time in his career. He is only the second primary shortstop to reach 20+ homers in 9+ seasons, joining Cal Ripken Jr. (12 seasons of 20+ homers).
Lindor hit his first grand slam since Game 4 of the 2024 NLDS at Citi Field against the Phillies. Lindor now has seven grand slams with the Mets including postseason games, passing Mike Piazza for the most in franchise history.
Lindor became the eighth player in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run and grand slam in the same game, joining: Bobby Doerr (August 1, 1939), Von Hayes (June 11, 1985), Darrin Jackson (August 25, 1991), Kenny Lofton (August 20, 2000), Charlie Blackmon (May 31, 2016), George Springer (October 3, 2021), and Jake McCarthy (July 3, 2026). (source: Sarah Langs on X)
Lindor hit his 291st homer while playing shortstop in a game, tying Miguel Tejada for third-most behind Cal Ripken Jr. (345) and Alex Rodriguez (344). (source: Sarah Langs on X)
Lindor recorded his 24th multi-homer game while playing shortstop, tying Ernie Banks for second-most behind Alex Rodriguez (33). (source: Sarah Langs on X)
Lindor recorded his 3rd multi-homer Subway Series game, breaking a tie with Pete Alonso and Jorge Posada for the most in Subway Series history. Lindor previously hit three homers exactly five years earlier on September 12, 2021, at Citi Field, and hit two homers on July 24, 2024, at Yankee Stadium. (credit: Sarah Langs on X)
Lindor recorded five RBI in a game for the ninth time as a Met. Three of those games have come against the Yankees.
Zac Thornton became the first Mets pitcher to complete seven innings in a Subway Series game since Max Scherzer on July 27, 2022, at Citi Field. He became the first left-hander to do it since Jon Niese on May 27, 2013, at Citi Field.
Thornton recorded his seventh quality start through 13 career games, tied for third-most by a Mets left-hander behind Steven Matz (9) and Sid Fernandez (8).
The Mets won a Subway Series game by 10 or more runs for the third time in franchise history. All three have ended with a score of 12-2 (June 9, 2000, at Yankee Stadium, and June 26, 2024, at Citi Field, were the previous two).
The Mets scored 10+ runs for the 17th time this season, tied with 1990 for the fourth-most such games in a season in franchise history. The 2000 (24), 1999 (20), and 1997 (18) teams are the only ones in franchise history with more double-digit scoring games. The Mets this season are tied with the Nationals for the second-most double-digit scoring games behind the Cubs (21).
SUNDAY
The Mets and Yankees held each other to three hits or fewer for the second time in Subway Series history. The first time was June 28, 1998, in a 2-1 Mets win at Shea Stadium.
The Mets suffered their 14th shutout loss of the season, tying them with the Mariners for the fourth-most of any team in the majors behind the Reds (16), Guardians (15), and Pirates (15).
Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:
Only eight homegrown Mets have put up 30-homer seasons in orange and blue:
Dave Kingman (1975, 1976, 1982) Darryl Strawberry (1987, 1988, 1990) Todd Hundley (1996, 1997) David Wright (2007, 2008) Ike Davis (2012) Lucas Duda (2014) Michael Conforto (2019) Pete Alonso (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
As expected after Atlanta waived him last week, point guard Devin Carter has agreed to terms and will join the Boston Celtics in training camp, reports Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.
The Boston Celtics and Devin Carter have agreed to a deal, league sources told @hoopshype. Carter will compete for an NBA roster or two-way spot in camp. Carter averaged 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 18.4 minutes during 38 games for the Sacramento Kings last season. pic.twitter.com/eo4U82bCg2
Boston has its 15th roster spot open and the cap space to add another player, but Carter also has two-way eligibility. How things go in training camp may determine his status, although the more likely outcome is that he starts the season on a two-way and that contract may convert to a standard one.
Carter, a lottery pick out of Providence, played his two NBA seasons with the Kings (who traded him to Atlanta this summer in a salary dump). Due to a variety of injuries (shoulder, ankle, calf and back), Carter played in 74 games across those two seasons, and last season averaged 8.9 points per game when he did get on the court.
Carter needs to answer two questions in Celtics training camp. First, can he stay healthy and on the court? Second, has he improved his 3-point shooting? Carter has shot 27.4% from beyond the arc in the NBA, and Boston is a 3-point-happy team under Joe Mazzulla, Carter needs to show he can be part of that.
LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens have signed head coach Martin St. Louis to a multiyear extension.
The team announced the deal Monday without revealing how long St. Louis is now under contract.
St. Louis, 51, has guided the upstart Canadiens to consecutive playoff berths, including a trip last year’s Eastern Conference final, after beginning his tenure during a full-scale rebuild.
Montreal hired St. Louis in on an interim basis following Dominique Ducharme’s dismissal in February 2022, taking on his first-ever role behind an NHL bench after previously coaching at the youth hockey level.
A Hall of Fame winger as a player, he had the interim tag removed at the end of that season.
St. Louis has a 163-155-47 record entering his sixth season as Canadiens coach. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2025, after leading the Canadiens to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Montreal, at the time the youngest team in the league, was eliminated in the first round by the Washington Capitals.
“Marty has done a terrific job leading our young team,” Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said in a statement. “He is a great communicator and teacher. We look forward to his continued efforts to mold this group into a championship-caliber team.”
Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, St. Louis totaled 1,033 points before retiring in 2015.
His most decorated season was in 2003-04, when he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, the Art Ross trophy as leading scorer with 94 points and helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup.
MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 11: Los Angeles Dodgers Josue De Paula (95) smiles in the dugout after an interaction with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) in the dgugtou during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Miami Marrlins on Friday, September 11, 2026 at LoanDepot Park in Miamim, FL (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It was a real week of ups and downs for the Dodgers, who ran their season-best win streak to eight games before dropping two games in Miami, with a brutal Sunday loss that prevented what would have been a stellar week.
The Dodgers finally pulled the plug on Shohei Ohtani, placing the superstar on the injured list Friday after he aggravated his right biceps in his lone game on Monday. They played Freddie Freeman and designated hitter on Tuesday, then sat on Wednesday and Friday while dealing with a right knee injury. On the field, Freeman is hitless in his last 16 at-bats and has one hit in his last 26 at-bats, and was moving gingerly at first base on Sunday before a bad toss to covering pitcher Tanner Scott in the fateful ninth inning.
But the Dodgers also saw top prospect Josue De Paula not only make his major league debut, but thrive in doing so, reaching base six times in 11 at-bats, including his first major league home run and a double on Sunday.
In all, the Dodgers won four out of six games, and can clinch a postseason berth as early as Monday.
Batter of the week
Teoscar Hernández continued his stellar September with seven hits in 16 at-bats, tied for the team lead with six RBI, hit a home run and a triple, and even stole a base.
The offense was for the most part humming this week, with De Paula, Hernández, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Will Smith, and Kyle Tucker all posting an OPS over 1.000.
Pitcher of the week
Emmet Sheehan bookended the week with stellar starts. He allowed a run in 5 2/3 innings with 10 strikeouts to beat the Reds on Monday after getting called back up from Triple-A. Then Sheehan on Sunday pitched six scoreless innings on Sunday.
Week 25 results
4-2 record 36 runs scored (6.00 per game) 18 runs allowed (3.00 per game) .780 pythagorean win percentage
Year to date
90-59 record 741 runs scored (4.97 per game) 571 runs allowed (3.83 per game) .617 pythagorean win percentage (92-57)
Welcome aboard: Top prospect Josue De Paula was called up directly from Double-A on Friday, and started all three games in Miami — two at designated hitter, then Sunday in left field. In his first game, De Paula reached base once in his four trips to the plate in his first game with a walk, the third Dodgers player to make their major league debut in 2026. De Paula joined first baseman/outfielder Ryan Ward (2 for 5, RBI on April 19 at Colorado) and catcher Eliezer Alfonzo (0 for 2 on July 5 vs. San Diego) in the Dodgers’ first-timer club this season.
Go90: Friday’s victory in Miami gave the Dodgers 90 wins on the season, something they’ve done every full season since 2013, excepting only the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign in which the team was 43-17. The Dodgers are the first team in MLB history to win 90 games for 13 full seasons in a row.
Monday: Emmet Sheehan was recalled from Triple-A, with Bobby Miller optioned the day after pitching three innings in relief.
Tuesday: Center fielder Alek Thomas cleared waivers and was sent outright to Oklahoma City.
Friday: Shohei Ohtani was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Tuesday, which opened up a lane of playing time for Josue De Paula’s first major league call-up. Left-hander Eric Lauer was moved to the 60-day IL, ending his season.
The Dodgers run the Eddie Milner gauntlet, finishing up the road trip with a series against the Cincinnati Reds for the second week in a row, followed by the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles next weekend. The pitching matchups for the latter half of the week are a guess, as the Dodgers have TBA listed for the final two games in Cincinnati.
As National Hockey League clubs open training camps this week, a few former Buffalo Sabres have still not found a home. In recent days, veteran blueliners Carson Soucy and Nick Blankenburg have agreed to professional tryouts with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs respectively, but players with extensive NHL experience may be running out of time to land a job or may be waiting for a club to need an injury replacement early in the year.
Last season, veteran goalie James Reimer’s pro career looked to be nearing its end, as he failed to latch on with the Toronto Maple Leafs after being brought in on a PTO late in the preseason, but Ottawa came calling in January for a dependable backup for Linus Ullmark, with youngster Leevi Merilainen struggling, and his addition helped the Senators get into the playoffs. The 38-year-old is still unsigned.
Evander Kane also has not found a landing spot, but after a subpar season in Vancouver, being 35, and a chaos agent in many of the locker rooms throughout his career, only a desperate club would go down that road.
A player that surprisingly has not found a home is big defenseman Logan Stanley. The former Winnipeg first rounder played nearly six seasons with the Jets before being traded at the deadline along with Luke Schenn to the Sabres for Isak Rosen, Jacob Bryson, and two draft picks. With Buffalo, the 6’7”, 231 lb. defenseman played mostly in a third pairing role and posted five assists in 17 regular season games, and eight of Buffalo’s 13 playoff games.
There had been speculation that coming off a career-high 26 points last season, and with a very thin crop of defensive free agents on the market, that the 28-year-old was in a prime position to get overpaid and get some term on a deal, but clearly Stanley and his representatives miscalculated.
The veteran is currently skating with his former junior club, the Kitchener Rangers, and may be holding out for a one-year deal in a good landing spot, where he can get plenty of ice time, have a good year and hit the open market again next July, but that may not come until the regular season.
How will Leeds United and Newcastle United fare today? Here is what to know, including kick-off time, TV channels and live stream options
Leeds United and Newcastle United have both enjoyed an unbeaten start to the Premier League season, hinting that Monday’s encounter could be highly competitive between two teams seemingly on an upward trajectory.
After avoiding relegation last season, Leeds are looking to push themselves even higher up the table and have lost just one of their last 12 league games. Newcastle, though, are unbeaten in their last six meetings with Leeds.
