With September arriving, the pressure is about to spike across MLB. Division races are tightening, wild-card spots are getting crowded, and a handful of players are carrying outsized weight for teams trying to secure their place in October.
Aaron Judge is the big one for the Yankees. New York is hoping its captain can return to the lineup sometime this month after being sidelined since May 31 with a right rib fracture.
The timing matters because the Yankees offense has struggled badly without him, sitting in MLB’s bottom three in runs scored, OPS, wRC+ and batting average while Judge has been out. If the Yankees are still within reach of the American League East title when he comes back, the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays will have to keep pushing.
Shohei Ohtani brings a different kind of urgency for the Dodgers. His September importance runs in two directions: when he returns to the mound for the first time since July 3, and how quickly he gets going at the plate again.
On the pitching side, Los Angeles gets another front-line weapon; Ohtani’s 1.79 ERA across his first 14 starts showed exactly why that matters. But the Dodgers need the bat to catch fire too.
Entering Saturday’s action, Ohtani was hitting .225 over his last 14 games, going 49 at-bats in that stretch.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is right there in the MVP conversation, and he’s also been central to the Cubs’ push. Chicago entered Saturday just 4-6 over its previous 10 games and was trying to hold onto the top National League wild-card spot with the Philadelphia Phillies only one game behind.
Crow-Armstrong has been the catalyst for that lineup, and the Cubs need him to keep producing if they want to bring momentum into the postseason. A six-game set in September against the division rival Milwaukee Brewers could say plenty about where Chicago is headed, and where PCA stands in the MVP race.
Zack Wheeler’s September is about damage control. The Phillies right-hander is scheduled to start again on Sunday, his last outing of August, and both he and the club need it to go well after a rough second half.
Wheeler opened the season with a 2.13 ERA over his first 15 starts, but since the All-Star break he has posted a 7.18 ERA in seven starts and is 0-4 in that span. Philadelphia still had a 95.5 percent chance to make the postseason heading into Saturday’s action, but Wheeler’s form is going to stay under the microscope the rest of the way.
Miguel Vargas may be the surprise name on the list, but the White Sox have been one of the season’s surprises too. Vargas entered Saturday needing one home run to become just the third primary third baseman in White Sox history - after Robin Ventura in 1996 and Joe Crede in 2006 - to post 30 doubles and 30 homers in the same season.
He also led the American League with 92 runs scored before Saturday’s games, which tells you how much he has meant to Chicago’s offense. If the White Sox are going to finish off their worst-to-first run with an AL Central title, Vargas, who led the team with 4.6 bWAR, has to keep delivering.
In Other News...
White Sox Fans Will Love Pope Leos Latest Sox Moment
Pope Leo XIVs White Sox connection is starting to feel less like a fun footnote and more like part of the teams broader identity. During a visit to Vatican City, Father Tom McCarthy presented the former Father Bob Prevost with a White Sox-themed hat and other merchandise, a fitting gesture for a pope whose allegiance to the South Side has long been part of his personal story. He was at games during the 2005 World Series, and even from Rome, he has remained a follower of the club.
For White Sox fans, the appeal goes beyond the novelty of seeing their team mentioned in a Vatican setting. McCarthy said the popes love for the Sox has never really gone away, and he also expressed hope for the teams success this season. In a year when every bit of positive attention matters, the sight of the pontiff wearing team gear is the kind of detail supporters are likely to enjoy nearly as much as a win. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Are Betting Big On A Prospect With One Huge Question
The White Sox made one of their more interesting draft-day investments in Alex Weingartner, a New Jersey high school outfielder who landed a $1,397,000 deal after going in the sixth round. For a player outside the usual SEC pipeline, that kind of bonus stands out, and it says plenty about how much Chicago likes the tools. Weingartner has already drawn attention for his running ability and arm strength, and the organization is now focused on helping him sharpen the bat at the White Sox complex.
For a club that has spent plenty of time trying to restock its talent base, the appeal is obvious: there is real upside here if the hit tool comes along. The question hanging over Weingartner is the same one that followed him through the draft process, and it will shape whether this becomes a savvy gamble or just another intriguing name in the system. For now, the White Sox are betting that the physical gifts are good enough to justify the price, and that the rest can be built from there. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Need Andrew Benintendi To Deliver In The Stretch Run
Andrew Benintendi is back with the White Sox after a brief stint on the bereavement list, and his timing could hardly be more important. Chicago opened a road series against the Twins with the outfielder reinstated, a welcome development for a club trying to keep pace in the AL Central and leaning on every bit of lineup production it can find down the stretch.
Benintendis bat has cooled in August after a stronger start earlier in the season, and the White Sox are hoping the time away helps him reset. Theres a natural wear-and-tear question here too, because the grind of the season can sneak up on hitters late, and Chicago would love to see him come back looking fresher just as the games start to carry more weight. [Read more 🡒]