The Major League Baseball season is down to its final days with plenty of uncertainty and playoff spots still to be clinched.
In the AL West, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros have been exchanging first place in recent days and it’s the Rangers who hold a one-game leading entering play on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The Cleveland Guardians have overtaken the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, but the Sox are still likely to earn a wild card spot.
The Chicago Cubs, San DIego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies basically have the NL’s three wild card spots locked up, but only one game separating the three teams in the seeding.
The regular season ends on Sunday, Sept. 27, with the best-of-three wild card series beginning two days later.
Here’s the latest standings and updates on the MLB playoff race:
MLB playoff bracket 2026
#-division champion; *clinched at least a wild card spot
American League
Byes: Tampa Bay Rays* (1), Cleveland Guardians (2)Wild card series:White Sox (6) at Rangers (3) – Winner vs. GuardiansRed Sox (5) at Yankees* (4) – Winner vs. Rays
National League
Byes: Milwaukee Brewers# (1), Los Angeles Dodgers# (2)Wild card series:Phillies (6) at Braves* (3) – Winner vs. DodgersPadres (5) at Cubs (4) – Winner vs. Brewers
AL wild card standings
Top three teams qualify
*New York Yankees (89-66) +9.5 gamesBoston Red Sox (84-72) +4 gamesChicago White Sox (80-76)Houston Astros (77-79) – 2 GBToronto Blue Jays (77-80) – 3.5 GBBaltimore Orioles (76-81) – 4.5 GB
NL wild card standings
Top three teams qualify
Chicago Cubs (87-69) +1 gameSan Diego Padres (87-69) +1 gamePhiladelphia Phillies (86-70)Arizona Diamondbacks (82-74) – 4 GB
AL East
*Tampa Bay Rays (95-60)*New York Yankees (89-66) – 5 GB
AL Central
Cleveland Guardians (81-75)Chicago White Sox (80-76) – 1 GB
AL West
Texas Rangers (78-79)Houston Astros (77-79) – 1 GBSeattle Mariners (73-83) –56 GB
NL East
Atlanta Braves (91-64) – winners of NL East
NL Central
Milwaukee Brewers (97-58) − winners of NL Central
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers (95-60) – winners of NL West
*clinched at least a wild card spot
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoff picture: Wild card standings, AL and NL postseason bracket
Reporting by Jesse Yomtov, Bob Nightengale, Gabe Lacques and Kristie Ackert, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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