The final week of the regular season has turned into a full-blown traffic jam across both leagues, with six postseason spots still open and several races coming down to the wire. The Braves, Brewers, Dodgers, Rays, Yankees and Red Sox have already punched their tickets for 2026, but there’s still plenty to settle before Sunday brings the curtain down.
In the American League, the White Sox, Guardians and Rangers are all trying to keep their grips on the division picture, while the Astros are still hanging around and hoping the schedule breaks their way. Texas has slipped into first in the AL West by a game, but that edge comes with a dangerous finish: a three-game set at home against the Mets, who have been tough all season.
Houston, after giving up the division lead, now sits one game back in the West and three back in the wild-card chase. The good news for the Astros is what comes next - two games in Seattle and then four on the road against the Athletics.
Chicago’s situation is even more delicate. The White Sox lost the AL Central lead to the Guardians, but they still hold the final wild-card spot by three games.
That cushion can disappear fast, though, and their three-game road series against the Royals from Monday to Wednesday carries real weight. Anything less than two wins there could make life miserable with Houston lurking two games back in the wild-card race.
Cleveland’s path isn’t easy either. The Guardians enter the week up one game in the AL Central and head to Fenway Park for three against the Red Sox, who clinched a playoff berth Sunday and are basically locked into the AL’s No. 5 seed.
That could mean some lineup shuffling from Boston, but Cleveland can’t afford to assume anything. If the Guardians stumble, they could lose the division for the first time since 2023, and they finish with a friendlier slate against the Royals and Rockies.
The race in the National League is no less tense. The Phillies have a four-game cushion in the wild-card standings, but their final six games are a grind: the Brewers and the Rays.
If Philadelphia slips up, the Diamondbacks could suddenly find themselves back in the mix. Arizona closes against the Rockies and the Padres, and that combination gives them at least a path back if the Phillies wobble.
San Diego is in a tricky spot too. The Padres own the NL’s second wild-card position and lead Arizona by five games, but they’ve got a tough road trip first - three games against the Dodgers.
That matters because the Diamondbacks get the Rockies, MLB’s worst team, which means the Padres can’t afford to let that series in Los Angeles get away from them. They need at least one win, and probably more, before a season-ending three-game set at home against Arizona that could wind up deciding everything.
There’s also a rare individual chase worth watching in the closing stretch. Pete Crow-Armstrong has 44 home runs and 37 stolen bases with seven games left, putting him within striking distance of a 40-40 season. He needs three steals to become the seventh player ever to join Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani in that club.
And then there’s Yordan Alvarez, who still has a shot at the AL Triple Crown if he catches fire over the final week. He leads the league with a .311 average and sits second in both home runs with 40 and RBIs with 99.
Junior Caminero is one homer ahead of him for the AL lead, while Pete Alonso is six RBIs ahead, which makes that part of the chase a steep climb. If Alvarez pulls it off, he’d be the first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
Justin Verlander’s final start is set for Saturday, when the Tigers host the Pirates at Comerica Park. The 43-year-old will make the 557th start of his career in the same ballpark where he first took the mound for Detroit in 2005. It’s the kind of full-circle ending that fits one of the defining pitchers of this generation, and the home crowd should treat it like the moment it is.
There’s even a strange bit of history on the line in the AL West. The 2005 Padres remain the worst division winner in MLB history at 82-80, but the Rangers and Astros could threaten that mark.
Texas is sitting at 78-78 with seven games to go, while Houston is 77-79. The Rangers would need to win five of their last six to avoid tying or breaking the record, and the Astros would have to win out.
In Other News...
Red Sox Weekend Suddenly Comes With A Schedule Concern Fans Need To Watch
A late-September series at Fenway already carries enough weight on its own, but the Red Sox now have to keep an eye on the skies as well. Their final regular-season matchup with the Cubs is set to be played in Boston, and the forecast calls for rain on every day of the series, turning what should be a straightforward weekend into a logistical headache.
MLB and both clubs are monitoring the situation closely, and for now there are no plans to relocate the games out of Boston. Still, the potential for delays or other schedule changes hangs over the series, and that could complicate the rhythm for both teams as they try to get through the final stretch of the regular season. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Turnaround Just Sparked A Grade Debate Fans Will Hate
The Red Sox did enough in 2026 to make the season feel salvaged, if not fully solved, after injuries and a managerial change threatened to send it sideways. Instead, they steadied themselves in the middle of the year, played their way into a playoff spot and gave Boston a familiar late-season reason to stay engaged, even if the path there was messier than anyone wanted.
So it was probably no surprise that ESPNs David Schoenfield still found room for debate when he handed Boston a B grade for the season. In a year when the Red Sox recovered from a shaky start and outperformed the doubts hanging over them, the letter felt a little low to some fans, especially with the grading framed against preseason expectations and the rest of the league rather than just the turnaround itself. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Face Immediate Outfield Decisions As Key Bat Nears Return
Ceddanne Rafaela is on track to come back Wednesday, giving the Red Sox a needed boost after nearly a month away with a right quadriceps strain. Before the injury, the center fielder had been in the middle of a strong season, helping Boston in ways that showed up both in the lineup and in the outfield, where his range and overall value have been hard to replace.
His return also puts the Red Sox right back into the kind of day-to-day outfield juggling that tends to matter most this time of year. With the postseason approaching, Boston has to sort out how Rafaela fits into the lineup and the defensive alignment, and his activation should make the roster look deeper even as it forces some immediate decisions about who moves where. [Read more 🡒]