The 2026 MLB playoffs are about to get rolling on Tuesday, and before any team takes its first postseason swing, every contender has one more roster call to make. The 12 clubs still alive have to sort out their playoff lists, and for some of them that means deciding whether a top prospect is worth a spot in October.
Not every name here is likely to get the call. In fact, some of these players may never see a postseason game this year. But they’re worth keeping on the radar as organizations weigh upside against experience.
Ethan Salas looks like the most realistic prospect on this list to actually crack a playoff game. The San Diego Padres catcher, who is 20, could fit the kind of extra-catching role some teams like to carry in October. That alone gives him a path onto the roster.
Salas already made his MLB debut earlier this month and put together a solid first stretch, batting .256 (10-for-39) with two home runs and five RBIs in 16 games. Because Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin both hit right-handed, the left-handed Salas could also find himself in the mix for at-bats against righties.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have their own interesting decision to make with Josue De Paula, their No. 1 prospect. The 21-year-old was pushed from Double-A to the majors earlier this month and responded by hitting .323 (10-for-31) with one homer and seven RBIs in 11 games.
Los Angeles leaned on De Paula mostly as a designated hitter while Shohei Ohtani was on the injured list. Now that Ohtani is back, De Paula’s postseason role is less certain. Even so, the left-handed hitter could still give the Dodgers a bench bat they can turn to late in games.
Carlos Lagrange has been a name to watch all season for the New York Yankees, especially when it comes to the postseason bullpen. The right-hander has logged just one Triple-A appearance over the past three months after dealing with a right shoulder capsular sprain, but New York has not shut the door on him as a relief option.
If Lagrange gets into a playoff game, it would be his MLB debut. At 6-foot-7, he brings the kind of power arm that can tempt a team in October, even if he probably won’t be on the Yankees’ initial Wild Card roster. If New York goes deep, he could still be added later.
Jesus Made and Andrew Fischer are much longer shots for the Milwaukee Brewers, but both remain on the board as postseason possibilities. Neither infielder has played above Double-A, though both are part of Milwaukee’s stay-ready group in Nashville.
Fischer has the more obvious case as a bench bat after leading the minors with 48 home runs this season. Still, the more likely outcome is that Brewers fans won’t see either player in the majors until at least 2027.
In Other News...
Cam Schlittler Just Added More Heat To Yankees Red Sox Tension
Cam Schlittler has already learned that anything he says online can ripple far beyond the app, especially when the Yankees and Red Sox are involved. In an interview with Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, the young Yankees pitcher revisited the social media back-and-forth with Boston fans, including the deleted comment that briefly took on a life of its own after he responded to a Red Sox-themed podcast.
For a pitcher trying to settle into October baseball, the noise is part of the backdrop, but Schlittler made clear he is aware of how quickly those exchanges can sharpen the edge of the rivalry. He also pointed to past online run-ins as something he has used to fuel his work on the mound, which only adds another layer to a Yankees-Red Sox storyline that already tends to carry plenty of heat. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Have A Costly Roster Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The Yankees roster math has become hard to ignore, especially when so much money is tied up in players who have not given the lineup much return. A chunk of the 2026 salary ledger is already committed to DJ LeMahieu, Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon, and FanGraphs metric has the trio combining for only 0.7 wins above replacement. For a team that always expects to contend, that kind of production from that kind of payroll space is exactly the sort of inefficiency that turns into a larger problem.
McMahons season has been the clearest example of the dilemma, with his offense lagging even as his glove kept him in the lineup, while LeMahieu was released in midseason with nearly $22 million still owed. Grisham, meanwhile, never quite matched last years level and also had a September injury stint to deal with. Put together, it has left the Yankees paying premium prices for very little margin for error, and the roster consequences are not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Got A Tougher ALWCS Opener Than Anyone Expected
Boston is turning to rookie Payton Tolle for Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Yankees, a choice that adds a fresh wrinkle to a matchup already loaded with October pressure. Tolle has been throwing well lately, and the Red Sox clearly see enough in the young left-hander to open the series with him, especially with New York carrying a lineup that leans heavily left-handed and may be without Aaron Judge.
If that plan holds, the Yankees are staring at a tougher opener than many expected, with the Red Sox lining up Sonny Gray in Game 2 and Ranger Suarez in Game 3. Gray gives Boston a veteran edge as the staff ace, while Suarez brings postseason experience, so New York will have to be ready for a series that could demand immediate adjustments rather than a slow feel-out period. [Read more 🡒]