Standings through September 21; injury reporting as of September 22, 11:48 a.m. ET.
Tampa Bay needs one win at Yankee Stadium this week to claim the AL East. New York must sweep the four-game series to keep its division hopes alive, starting with Tuesday’s doubleheader.
Both clubs have already secured postseason places. Elsewhere, the final week could decide which division winners receive a first-round bye and which contenders miss the playoffs. The Yankees must also prepare their offense for the possibility of playing October baseball without Aaron Judge.
The Yankees prepare without Judge
The Sporting Page had already raised the risk in its September 20 report, “Judge May Not Return Until 2027.” That story warned that his recovery could outlast the Yankees’ postseason, while acknowledging that an October return remained possible.
Judge went on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain on September 19, retroactive to September 17. He is eligible to return September 27, the regular-season finale, but the Yankees’ September 20 injury update still gave no timetable for his return. Judge has said he hopes to play in the postseason.
In CBS Sports’ playoff discussion, analyst Lewis Brinson identified New York’s rotation as a strength and questioned whether the available lineup could supply enough offense. He pointed to Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger among the hitters who would have to contribute without Judge. Rice enters the series with a team-leading 39 home runs.
One more win would also secure a home Wild Card Series if New York enters as a wild card. Boston can finish with no more than 90 wins, and the 89-win Yankees hold their head-to-head tiebreaker.
A division title could give Chicago a bye
Cleveland leads the AL Central at 81–75, one game ahead of the 80–76 White Sox, with six games remaining apiece. Chicago owns the head-to-head tiebreaker, so matching Cleveland’s final record would be enough to win the division. The Guardians finish with three games each at Boston and Kansas City; the White Sox visit Kansas City before hosting Colorado.
The two highest-seeded division champions in each league advance directly to the Division Series. Under the current seeding, the Central winner would receive a first-round bye. Chicago instead occupies the final wild-card position, three games ahead of Houston. Toronto is 3½ games behind the White Sox, and Baltimore is 4½ behind, leaving the berth unsecured. Houston can threaten Chicago’s wild-card position, while the West champion could become the White Sox’s first postseason opponent.
On Tuesday, a White Sox win in Kansas City and a Cleveland loss in Boston would leave the clubs level, with Chicago holding the tiebreaker and five games remaining.
What the West means for the sixth seed
Texas leads the AL West at 78–78, one game ahead of Houston, which holds their head-to-head tiebreaker. Seattle, five games behind Texas with six to play, remains mathematically alive in the division race.
The current bracket would send Chicago to Texas, with Cleveland awaiting the winner. New York would host Boston, with Tampa Bay awaiting that series’ winner. Brinson preferred a division title and a bye, but saw an appealing route for the sixth seed, particularly the prospect of avoiding the AL East clubs until the Championship Series.
The AL East champion is assured the No. 1 seed because Tampa Bay’s 95 wins exceed any Central or West club’s possible final total. The other division champions will be seeded second and third, but their order could change. Houston owns the tiebreaker over either Central contender and could take the second seed if it wins the West and finishes level with the Central champion. The sixth seed would then face the Central champion first, with Houston awaiting the winner.
The sixth seed plays the entire best-of-three Wild Card Series on the road, while a division title accompanied by a bye removes the risk of elimination in that round.
Byes and home field remain open in the NL
All three National League division titles are decided. Milwaukee is 98–58, two games ahead of the Dodgers, with Atlanta at 92–64. Their seeding remains open, and none has yet secured a first-round bye.
The Cubs and Padres are both 87–69, with Philadelphia one game behind. Arizona trails Philadelphia by four games for the final wild-card berth. The Cubs hold the tiebreaker over San Diego, so the current standings would put the Padres at Wrigley Field and Philadelphia at Atlanta when the Wild Card Series begins September 29.
ESPN reported Alex Bregman suffered facial fractures from a foul ball on September 20, has no surgery planned and hopes to return during the postseason.
Brinson preferred the Cubs as a hypothetical Wild Card Series opponent for Atlanta, citing Bregman’s injury and his concerns about the Cubs’ bullpen. That matchup would require a change in seeding. The Cubs have yet to clinch a berth; retaining the top wild-card position would give them home field in the opening series.
