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Alex Bregman is back in the Chicago Cubs lineup surprisingly quickly. The three-time All-Star will serve as designated hitter and bat third in the first game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox on Friday, only five days after incurring multiple facial fractures.
There's still much to play for entering the final days of the regular season. We have your guide to the last few games of baseball before October.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ethan Salas had RBI singles in a three-run seventh inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Thursday night to clinch their franchise-record third consecutive postseason berth and fifth in seven seasons.
Christian Moore hit a two-run double and had three RBIs, Bryce Teodosio drove in two runs, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Thursday night.
Lucas Spence hit the first three home runs of his major league career, Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes also homered, and the Houston Astros outlasted the Athletics 7-5 on Thursday night.
Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras is uncertain whether he will be available to play when the AL Wild Card Series starts on Tuesday.
The postseason berth might be secured, but the AL Central is still up for grabs. The Cleveland Guardians head into the final series of the regular season with a one-game lead over Chicago White Sox.
Rookie George Lombard Jr. scored on an incredible slide and followed with a tiebreaking. two-run homer as Cam Schlitter finished his season with an AL-best 1.95 ERA in the New York Yankees’ 6-4 comeback win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.
Elly De La Cruz hit his 30th homer, Héctor Rodríguez and rookie Carlos Jorge also went deep, and the Cincinnati Reds rallied from an early deficit to beat the NL East champion Atlanta Braves 7-6 on Thursday night.
Angel Martínez homered and Joey Cantillo threw five one-hit innings in a bulk relief role as the Cleveland Guardians clinched a playoff spot for the third straight year with a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.
The Milwaukee Brewers reached 100 wins for the first time, and Jackson Chourio hit his 25th homer to lift them to a 5-1 victory over Philadelphia on Thursday night that slowed the Phillies’ playoff push.
Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez left Thursday’s game against Milwaukee with a sprained left ankle after he tried to avoid a tag at first base.
Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt is back on the injured list and will miss the AL Wild Card Series, sidelined by right biceps neuritis that developed following his return from Tommy John surgery.
Gabriel Moreno and Nolan Arenado homered in a six-run first inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks had a season-high 18 hits as they kept up their slim postseason chances with a 12-8 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
After becoming the first team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth, nobody would have begrudged the White Sox for spilling over the dugout railing Thursday and celebrating wildly on the field in Kauffman Stadium.
Paul Skenes is only too aware of the impossibly high bar he set for himself during his first two years in the major leagues. And while his third didn’t come particularly close to meeting it, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace doesn’t view 2026 as a failure.
The Braves plan to put left-hander Martín Pérez on the 15-day injured list with lower back inflammation, leaving Atlanta short-handed in its starting rotation as the postseason approaches.
Germany began a new era under Jürgen Klopp, Erling Haaland scored two goals for Norway, and Cristiano Ronaldo was still playing for Portugal in the Nations League on Thursday.
Josh Jung and Corey Seager homered, Kumar Rocker pitched five solid innings and Texas closed out its home schedule with a 3-1 win over the New York Mets on Thursday that ensured that the Rangers would remain at least tied for the AL West lead heading into the regular season’s final weekend.
Pete Crow-Armstrong joined the 40-40 club by stealing his 40th base to go along with his major league-leading 45 home runs, and the Chicago Cubs clinched their second straight postseason berth a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
The Chicago White Sox became the first team to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons by reaching the playoffs on Thursday, throttling the Kansas City Royals 9-1 to ensure no worse than one of the three AL wild-card spots for the postseason.
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