The 2026 postseason field is starting to take shape.
Ultimately, a 30-team league will be whittled down to 12 teams: three division champions and three Wild Cards in both the American League and National League. The two division champions with the best records in both the AL and NL will enjoy first-round byes, while the other eight teams will compete in best-of-three Wild Card Series that begin Tuesday, Sept. 29.
So far, five postseason berths are locked up.
Which teams have clinched playoff spots?
- Tampa Bay Rays - AL (clinched Sept. 11)
- Milwaukee Brewers - NL (clinched Sept. 11; won NL Central on Sept. 15)
- Los Angeles Dodgers - NL (clinched Sept. 14; won NL West on Sept. 17)
- New York Yankees - AL (clinched Sept. 14)
- Atlanta Braves - NL (clinched Sept. 18)
Here’s a look at MLB’s 2026 postseason qualifiers, in reverse chronological order of when they clinched a spot. (This story will be updated each time another team clinches.)
5. Atlanta Braves
Clinch date: Sept. 18 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: TBD
Top players: SP Chris Sale, OF Ronald Acuña Jr., 1B Matt Olson
Path to the postseason: The Braves have led the NL East practically wire to wire, jumping into first place on April 8 and never relinquishing the lead. Atlanta hasn't wrapped up the division just yet, but with a sizable edge over the Phillies and the head-to-head tiebreaker, it looks like just a matter of time. After a scorching start to the year -- they were 45-21 at one point in early June -- the Braves have cooled at times (particularly during Acuña's multiple stints on the injured list) but have still played good enough baseball to secure their spot in the NL postseason field.
October history: It's the eighth postseason appearance in nine seasons for the Braves, who return to the playoffs after going 76-86 during an down year in 2025. After winning the 2021 World Series, though, they have lost their past three postseason series, falling to the Phillies in the NLDS in 2022 and '23 and to the Padres in the 2024 NL Wild Card Series.
4. New York Yankees
Clinch date: Sept. 14 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: TBD
Top players: SP Cam Schlittler, DH/1B Ben Rice, RF Aaron Judge
Path to the postseason: It wasn’t easy for the Yankees this year. Judge spent all of June, July and August on the injured list before returning to action on Sept. 8, and that was only the most notable of several injuries to key players. But the Yankees kept their heads above water without Judge even as they continued to play from behind against the Rays in the division race, weathering a 4-14 slide in late June and early July that included a seven-game losing streak.
October history: They’re synonymous with postseason baseball. In 32 seasons from 1995-2026, the Yankees have missed the playoffs just five times. But after winning the World Series five times in the first 15 years of that stretch, they are still searching for championship No. 28 -- their first since 2009.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Clinch date: Sept. 14 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: Clinched NL West on Sept. 17; playoff seed TBD
Top players: DH/SP Shohei Ohtani, SP Tarik Skubal, SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Path to the postseason: The two-time defending World Series champions were widely expected to dominate the NL West race and make a serious run at a third straight title. We don’t know about the latter part yet, but that first box is checked. The Dodgers have spent nearly every day of the season in first place, taking the lead for good on May 19 and spending the second half on cruise control despite their usual battles with injuries.
October history: It’s hard to remember what the postseason is like without the Dodgers, who have now made it in 14 straight seasons, tying the 1991-2005 Braves for the all-time record. That run includes 13 NL West titles. Three of the proud franchise’s nine World Series championships have come since 2020.
2. Milwaukee Brewers
Clinch date: Sept. 11 STORY >
Playoff spot/seed: Clinched NL Central on Sept. 15; playoff seed TBD
Top players: SP Jacob Misiorowski, 2B Brice Turang, LF Jackson Chourio
Path to the postseason: It’s become a familiar story in recent years: The 2026 Brewers faced significant questions about their chances to compete for a division crown. Then they went out and answered all of those questions.
October history: An unprecedented run of success in Brewers history continued. From its one-season stint as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 through 2017, the franchise made four playoff appearances. Since then, it’s made eight in a nine-season span and won seven division titles. However, Milwaukee is still looking to reach the World Series for only the second time, following a 1982 loss to the Cardinals (when the Brewers were an AL team).
1. Tampa Bay Rays
Clinch date: Sept. 11 STORY>
Playoff spot/seed: TBD
Top players: 3B Junior Caminero, SP Drew Rasmussen, DH Yandy Díaz
Path to the postseason: Not much was expected of the Rays after the club finished under .500 and fourth in the AL East in both of the previous two seasons. (Back in March, FanGraphs’ postseason odds had them finishing last in a tough division.) But the Rays got red-hot in late April -- they went 22-4 from April 22-May 22 -- and never looked back. They took sole possession of first place in the AL East on June 28 and, to date, have yet to relinquish it.
October history: In their 11th season since joining the AL as an expansion team, the Rays made their first playoff run in 2008. Going back to that year, they’ve now reached the playoffs nine times in 19 seasons, including World Series runs in 2008 (lost to Phillies) and 2020 (lost to Dodgers).