With the calendar turning to September and the final month of the MLB regular season underway, a handful of frontrunners are already preparing for October while a crowded field prepares for high-stakes pennant races down the stretch. In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs have all nearly wrapped up their places in the postseason. Over in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox remain positioned to make the playoffs. Here is where the major postseason races stand as the regular season dwindles down. JUMP TO: AL: East | Central | West | Wild CardNL: East | Central | West | Wild Card AL East The Rays maintain a 4.5-game division lead over New York as September begins, keeping control of the AL East. The Yankees hold second place and occupy the top AL Wild Card spot. Max Fried continues to work back into the rotation alongside Gerrit Cole. However, New York remains without Aaron Judge (rib fracture) and Cody Bellinger, who is back after dealing with a hamstring strain. The Red Sox sit 7.5 games behind Tampa Bay and 3.0 games behind the Yankees, maintaining momentum to hang onto the second wild-card spot. AL Central The White Sox remain in first place as September starts, holding a 3.0-game lead over Cleveland. Chicago has been bolstered by slugging rookie Munetaka Murakami since his return from the injured list in mid-July. Cleveland sits in second place, 3.0 games behind Chicago, while Minnesota lurks 6.5 games back and Detroit trails by 9.0 games. The battle for the division titleis still up for grabs with less than a month to play. AL West The Astros hold a slim 2.0-game lead in the AL West over the Rangers. Seattle sits 6.0 games off the pace. The AL West remains tightly contested as top contenders push through the final month of the regular season, with Seattle maintaining the fewest runs allowed in the division. This is anybody’s division as the final stretch unfolds. AL Wild Card The Yankees and Red Sox hold firm cushions in the top two AL Wild Card spots. Meanwhile, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Texas are packed within a single game of each other, fighting fiercely for the final wild-card spot. Boston’s midseason turnaround helped erase much of the early damage to its season, but nothing is locked up yet for any of these clubs as multiple AL contenders stay right on their tail. NL East Atlanta enters September maintaining a 4.0-game division cushion over Philadelphia in the division. Ronald Acuña Jr. continues to lead the lineup on offense and defense since returning in late July. Acuña Jr. has energized Atlanta’s lineup at the top of the order since returning, with Atlanta continuing to perform significantly better with him in the lineup in 2026. Philadelphia was just 12-19 at the end of April, but a strong summer push has kept pressure on the division race while nearly locking up a solid wild-card position. NL Central The Brewers have the best record in baseball, despite allowing nine home runs in a loss to the Cubs to close out August. Milwaukee has rotation depth, led by NL Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski—who became the second-fastest pitcher in MLB history to reach 200 strikeouts in a season last month. The Cubs sit 7.0 games back while holding a top NL Wild Card spot and pose the only threat to the Brewers division title hopes. Pete Crow-Armstrong has established himself as an MVP candidate after completing a 30-homer, 30-stolen base season while leading the majors in WAR. NL West The Diamondbacks and Padres are both still in the race for wild-card spots, as the Dodgers lead in the NL West has ballooned to 9.5-games ahead of San Diego and 10 games ahead of Arizona. The Dodgers have worked recent trade acquisition Tarik Skubal in the rotation. The Dodgers remain the favorite to win the World Series in October, despite their struggles last month. This is a team positioned for a deep postseason run, though navigating pitch counts and health down the stretch remains key. NL Wild Card The Cubs and Phillies sit comfortably atop the NL wild-card standings with 5.0 games of breathing room before the next closest in the race as September begins. The Padres currently hold the final wild-card spot, with the Diamondbacks right in the mix just 0.5 games back, while Miami, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati all still have a chance as they are within 6.0 games of the final wild card position. Read More
2026 MLB Playoff Picture, Standings: Wild Card Races Heat Up As September Begins
With the calendar turning to September and the final month of the MLB regular season underway, a handful of frontrunners are already preparing for October while a crowded field prepares for high-stakes pennant races down the stretch. In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs have all nearly wrapped up their places in the postseason. Over in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox remain positioned to make the playoffs. Here is where the major postseason races stand as the regular season dwindles down. JUMP TO: AL: East | Central | West | Wild CardNL: East | Central | West | Wild Card AL East The Rays maintain a 4.5-game division lead over New York as September begins, keeping control of the AL East. The Yankees hold second place and occupy the top AL Wild Card spot. Max Fried continues to work back into the rotation alongside Gerrit Cole. However, New York remains without Aaron Judge (rib fracture) and Cody Bellinger, who is back after dealing with a hamstring strain. The Red Sox sit 7.5 games behind Tampa Bay and 3.0 games behind the Yankees, maintaining momentum to hang onto the second wild-card spot. AL Central The White Sox remain in first place as September starts, holding a 3.0-game lead over Cleveland. Chicago has been bolstered by slugging rookie Munetaka Murakami since his return from the injured list in mid-July. Cleveland sits in second place, 3.0 games behind Chicago, while Minnesota lurks 6.5 games back and Detroit trails by 9.0 games. The battle for the division titleis still up for grabs with less than a month to play. AL West The Astros hold a slim 2.0-game lead in the AL West over the Rangers. Seattle sits 6.0 games off the pace. The AL West remains tightly contested as top contenders push through the final month of the regular season, with Seattle maintaining the fewest runs allowed in the division. This is anybody's division as the final stretch unfolds. AL Wild Card The Yankees and Red Sox hold firm cushions in the top two AL Wild Card spots. Meanwhile, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Texas are packed within a single game of each other, fighting fiercely for the final wild-card spot. Boston's midseason turnaround helped erase much of the early damage to its season, but nothing is locked up yet for any of these clubs as multiple AL contenders stay right on their tail. NL East Atlanta enters September maintaining a 4.0-game division cushion over Philadelphia in the division. Ronald Acuña Jr. continues to lead the lineup on offense and defense since returning in late July. Acuña Jr. has energized Atlanta's lineup at the top of the order since returning, with Atlanta continuing to perform significantly better with him in the lineup in 2026. Philadelphia was just 12-19 at the end of April, but a strong summer push has kept pressure on the division race while nearly locking up a solid wild-card position. NL Central The Brewers have the best record in baseball, despite allowing nine home runs in a loss to the Cubs to close out August. Milwaukee has rotation depth, led by NL Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski—who became the second-fastest pitcher in MLB history to reach 200 strikeouts in a season last month. The Cubs sit 7.0 games back while holding a top NL Wild Card spot and pose the only threat to the Brewers division title hopes. Pete Crow-Armstrong has established himself as an MVP candidate after completing a 30-homer, 30-stolen base season while leading the majors in WAR. NL West The Diamondbacks and Padres are both still in the race for wild-card spots, as the Dodgers lead in the NL West has ballooned to 9.5-games ahead of San Diego and 10 games ahead of Arizona. The Dodgers have worked recent trade acquisition Tarik Skubal in the rotation. The Dodgers remain the favorite to win the World Series in October, despite their struggles last month. This is a team positioned for a deep postseason run, though navigating pitch counts and health down the stretch remains key. NL Wild Card The Cubs and Phillies sit comfortably atop the NL wild-card standings with 5.0 games of breathing room before the next closest in the race as September begins. The Padres currently hold the final wild-card spot, with the Diamondbacks right in the mix just 0.5 games back, while Miami, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati all still have a chance as they are within 6.0 games of the final wild card position. Read More
