Plenty remains undecided as the 2026 MLB regular season enters the home stretch. Here's what to watch for over the final week.
AL wild card
The race for the final wild-card spot in the American League will come down to the wire, with Cleveland, Chicago, Houston, Texas, Toronto, and Baltimore all mathematically in the mix.
The Guardians and Rangers lead their respective divisions but have been flip-flopping with the White Sox and Astros over the past week. Any of those four could end up as a wild-card team or miss the playoffs entirely.
Entering Monday, Chicago is clinging to the third wild-card spot after an 8-11 September dropped them out of the AL Central lead, while Houston, Toronto, and Baltimore are trying to keep pace from the outside.
NL wild card
Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Diego are all within one game of each other and set to clash in a fight for playoff positioning.
No team is playing better than the Padres, who have won 13 of their last 15 games. However, they'll finish the campaign with two tough series against the Dodgers and D-Backs. The Cubs are in the midst of their worst month of the season but own the tiebreakers over the Phillies and Padres. While the Phillies have played well since Don Mattingly took over as manager, the rotation is thin with Jesús Luzardo hitting the injured list. They'll also face two teams with the best records in their respective leagues.
AL division titles to be decided
The AL Central and West are in for nail-biting finishes. The Guardians lead the White Sox by one game in the Central, but Chicago owns the tiebreaker. The White Sox also have an easier schedule (Royals, Rockies) compared to Cleveland's (Red Sox, Royals). In the West, the Rangers hold a one-game lead over the Astros. Houston holds the tiebreaker and has the Mariners and Athletics remaining, while Texas has the Mets and Twins left.
The Rays are closing in on their first AL East title since 2021. Tampa Bay's magic number is down to two, with a four-game series coming up against the Yankees in New York. The Rays need to win just one of those contests to secure the division.
Yordan's Triple Crown chase
Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is attempting to become the first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012, and accomplishing the rare feat is right in front of him.
Alvarez's .313 batting average leads the AL ahead of the Rays' Chandler Simpson (.309), but he trails Simpson's teammate, Junior Caminero, by one homer. Alvarez's toughest task might be catching Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso for the top spot in RBIs. Alonso leads Alvarez by six after a ridiculous 30-game stretch in which he drove in 25 runs.
Alvarez, who has recently missed time with an ankle injury, has six games left to do as much damage as he can. Luckily for him, four of those outings are against the Athletics and the AL's worst pitching staff at the hitter-friendly confines of Sutter Health Park.
PCA on precipice of 40-40 season
Pete Crow-Armstrong is just two steals away from becoming only the seventh player in MLB history to hit 40 homers with 40 stolen bases in a single season. Achieving the milestone would place him alongside Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr., Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Jose Canseco. Joining that exclusive club would cap a remarkable year likely to end with NL MVP honors, a Silver Slugger, a Gold Glove, and a potential Platinum Glove for the Cubs star.
3 teams eyeing 100-win seasons
MLB didn't have any teams reach the century mark in wins in the prior two seasons, but that'll change this year as the Brewers, Dodgers, and Rays all have a chance to do it. Milwaukee and Los Angeles are fighting for the NL's top seed, which gives them a good shot at reaching 100 wins since both are still playing for something. Tampa Bay will probably rest players for the playoffs once the AL East and top seed are secured, which could happen Tuesday.
Rockies, Angels facing dubious history
The Angels (60-96) have never lost 100 games in a season in their 65-year history, but that could change this week. Los Angeles needs to go 3-3 or better against the Athletics (two games) and Mariners (four games) to avoid the new low.
The Rockies understand that kind of futility and are one loss away from becoming the fifth club in MLB history with four straight 100-loss campaigns. Colorado has the D-Backs and White Sox remaining on the schedule.
How healthy are Ohtani, Judge heading into October?
Two of MLB's biggest stars are major question marks heading into October. Aaron Judge landed on the IL over the weekend with a calf injury, and the Yankees slugger said he hopes to be back for the postseason but has no return timetable. The three-time AL MVP is eligible to come off the IL before the wild-card round, though that would be a quick turnaround for a player dealing with a calf strain.
While Ohtani is expected to return to the Dodgers' lineup at some point this week, it doesn't appear he'll pitch again this season. Ohtani has played only three games in September due to biceps and knee injuries, and he slashed .122/.295/.184 with no homers and 21 strikeouts in 13 games before landing on the IL. Even with a loaded roster, Los Angeles will need its best player if it wants to win a third straight World Series.
Can Scherzer pass Verlander on K list?
This year could be the end for two of the greatest pitchers in MLB history. Justin Verlander has already announced that this is his 21st and final season. Sidelined since late March after his first and only start of the 2026 campaign, Verlander is scheduled to take the mound one final time Saturday at Comerica Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Max Scherzer hasn't publicly said whether this is his final season, but the 42-year-old is approaching his third straight year throwing fewer than 100 innings because of multiple injuries. Although the future first-ballot HOFer has nothing left to prove, he still has an outside shot at passing Verlander on the all-time strikeout list during the final week.
Scherzer, who sits 11 career strikeouts behind Verlander, is scheduled to pitch Tuesday, and he could line up to be available on the final day of the regular season. Scherzer has just eight strikeouts over his last three starts (15 2/3 innings) but struck out 10 in an August outing.
