MLB playoff race remains open with 22 teams in contention
All three American League division races were within three games as projected byes went to the Rays, White Sox, Brewers and Braves.
With just over three weeks left in the 2026 regular season, 22 of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams entered the United States Labor Day weekend either in a projected playoff position or within 5½ games of one.
The snapshot, reported by CBS Sports using SportsLine projections, gave American League byes to the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox. The projected wild-card series were the Astros against the Guardians and the Yankees against the Red Sox.
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves were projected to receive byes. The Dodgers were paired with the Padres, while the Cubs were matched with the Phillies.
Several races remained unsettled. The Phillies trailed the Braves by four games in the NL East while preparing to host Atlanta for a four-game series, and were also competing with the Cubs for the leading NL wild-card position. The Diamondbacks and Padres were contesting the final National League postseason place.
The American League remained particularly congested, with each division separated by no more than three games. Seven teams were within 5½ games of the final wild-card position, and none had a record above .500.
The projections are not final standings and could change during the remaining regular-season games. The postseason is scheduled to begin on 29 September, with the World Series due to start on 23 October.
