With September here, the 2026 Minor League Baseball season has already wrapped in some places and is still winding down in others. Rookie ball is done.
The full-season leagues are moving into the postseason stretch, with A-ball playoffs opening Tuesday, Sept. 8, Double-A following a week later and Triple-A set to begin the week after that.
At the top of the ladder, Triple-A’s regular season runs through Sunday, Sept. 20.
In the International League, the Memphis Redbirds, listed as Top 30 Cardinals Prospects, are set for the championship round beginning Sept. 22, where they’ll face the second-half winner once that team is determined. The Pacific Coast League title series also starts Sept. 22, with the Las Vegas Aviators, Top 30 A’s Prospects, meeting the second-half winner.
Then comes the Triple-A National Championship, a single-game showdown between the International League and Pacific Coast League champions on Sept. 26 in Las Vegas.
Double-A closes its regular season on Sunday, Sept. 13, and the playoff bracket is already taking shape. In the Texas League, the first round starts Sept. 15, with the Tulsa Drillers, Top 30 Dodgers Prospects, facing the Springfield Cardinals, Top 30 Cardinals Prospects, while the Frisco RoughRiders, Top 30 Rangers Prospects, will take on the second-half winner. The Eastern League championship series will pit the Northeast Division winner against the Southwest Division winner, and the Southern League title round will match the North Division winner with the South Division winner.
High-A’s regular season ended Sunday, Sept. 6, and the postseason gets rolling quickly. The Midwest League opens first-round play Sept. 8, with the Dayton Dragons, Top 30 Reds Prospects, matched up against the Great Lakes Loons, Top 30 Dodgers Prospects, and the South Bend Cubs, Top 30 Cubs Prospects, facing the Quad Cities River Bandits, Top 30 Royals Prospects. The South Atlantic League follows on Sept. 9, with the Frederick Keys, Top 30 Orioles Prospects, playing the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Top 30 Pirates Prospects, and the Bowling Green Hot Rods, Top 30 Rays Prospects, taking on the Winston-Salem Dash, Top 30 White Sox Prospects.
The Northwest League is a different setup entirely. Because it has only six teams, there’s just one round of playoffs. That best-of-five championship series begins Sept. 8, with the Eugene Emeralds, Top 30 Giants Prospects, facing the Vancouver Canadians, Top 30 Blue Jays Prospects.
Low-A also finished its regular season on Sunday, Sept. 6, and its first-round matchups are set for Sept. 8 in the California League and Sept. 8 in the Carolina League. In California, the San Jose Giants, Top 30 Giants Prospects, meet the Stockton Ports, Top 30 A’s Prospects, while the Lake Elsinore Storm, Top 30 Padres Prospects, play the Ontario Tower Buzzers, Top 30 Dodgers Prospects.
In Carolina League action, the Fredericksburg Nationals, Top 30 Nationals Prospects, draw the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, Top 30 Astros Prospects, and the Charleston RiverDogs, Top 30 Rays Prospects, face the Hickory Crawdads, Top 30 Rangers Prospects. The championship series in both leagues will be best-of-three, with the North Division winner meeting the South Division winner.
The Florida State League section is listed without a champion or playoff update in the source.
Among the rookie leagues, the Arizona Complex League produced the ACL Rockies, Top 30 Rockies Prospects, as champions. Colorado’s group finished 40-19, the best record in the league, and claimed its first Arizona Complex League title in five years.
The title came with a 6-5 win over the ACL Reds in 11 innings in Game 3 of the best-of-three series. Eriel Dihigo beat out a potential inning-ending double-play grounder with the bases loaded to bring home the winning run.
The Rockies had already taken Game 1, 9-8, then dropped Game 2, 6-4, in 11 innings before rallying from deficits in both the 10th and 11th innings of the finale.
The Florida Complex League crown went to the FCL Astros, Top 30 Astros Prospects, who finished on a 13-game winning streak and earned their first Florida Complex League championship since 1994. They swept the FCL Rays after a 4-3 win in 10 innings in Game 2, closing out a postseason run that followed a league-best 42-11 regular season.
Juan Rojas tied Game 2 with an RBI triple in the bottom of the 10th, then Roiner Quintana ended it with a walk-off RBI single that scored Rojas. Rojas was a force throughout the postseason, finishing with two home runs and seven RBIs in three games.
In the Dominican Summer League, the DSL Padres Gold made it back-to-back titles. They beat the DSL Reds 4-2 in the decisive Game 3 of the best-of-three championship series to win their second straight DSL Cup.
After falling 9-5 in Game 1, Padres Gold answered with a 6-4 victory in Game 2 and then came through after spotting the Reds an early lead in the finale. Dayquer Alfonzo recorded at least one hit and one RBI in all three games, going 4-for-14 with six RBIs and driving in the championship-winning run in Game 3.
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