Aug 07, 2026 - 21:47
By foxnews.com

2026 MLB Playoff Picture, Bracket, Standings: Cubs, Red Sox And Braves Surge

There are just under two months of the 2026 MLB season left, and with a few exceptions, it's much too early to know which teams are headed to the postseason. The Dodgers and Braves have built up a significant lead in the NL West and NL East, respectively and… that's about it.

The rest of the divisions range from hotly contested to at least up for grabs, while the wild-card race in both leagues is open to practically anyone, to the point you have to wonder why some of the teams that sold at the deadline chose that over buying.

Here is where the postseason races stand as MLB heads into the games of August 7.

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The Rays have been atop the AL East for some time, but their lead has never been huge: the biggest to date was 5.5 games back on May 22, but Tampa Bay has also never been more than four games back, and the last time that happened was early April. The Yankees have recently gotten Max Fried back in the rotation, finally joining Gerrit Cole, but the team's best hitter, outfielder Aaron Judge remains on the IL recovering from a stress fracture in his rib, and now left fielder and All-Star Cody Bellinger has joined him there with a hamstring strain that will keep him out for four-to-six weeks.

The Red Sox have put on a historic stretch since the start of July, and are now right behind the Yankees, putting them nearly as close to the Rays as New York. Boston will also eventually get key players back from the IL, and this team was 15.5 games behind in late-June, so the Sox are maybe a more serious player than the current standings suggest.

The White Sox are not only in first place in the AL Central a season removed from a