The latest on MLB postseason clinches, Ohtani and Judge health updates, awards races and more

Major League Baseball's postseason is rapidly approaching, with the Los Angeles Dodgers seeking a third-straight World Series title. It remains to be seen how much some of the game's biggest stars will be able to participate come October, though.

The Dodgers are once again among the best teams in the big leagues, and they'll have several challengers in October, including the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. All three teams could finish the regular season with 100 wins or more. Los Angeles is there even though four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani’s health is a concern.

The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves have also clinched spots in the postseason. The Yankees' three-time MVP Aaron Judge is dealing with a right calf strain that will keep him on the injured list until at least the final day of the regular season.

The regular season ends this Sunday, and while the 12-team playoff field appears mostly set, there are a few long-shot contenders for the postseason, and specific matchups are in flux.

Here's some of what to watch as the season comes to a close.

No team can clinch a playoff spot on Monday with most of the league getting a day off.

There is one important game in the American League, where the Toronto Blue Jays travel to face the Baltimore Orioles. The Blue Jays are hanging on the fringe of the AL race, starting the day three games back of the final wild-card spot.

There's quite a bit of mediocrity in the AL Central and West divisions this season, which has led to some fascinating pennant races and could lead to a sub-.500 team making the postseason.

The Cleveland Guardians (81-75) have a narrow advantage over the Chicago White Sox (80-76) in the AL Central while the Texas Rangers (78-78) are just ahead of the Houston Astros (77-79) in the AL West.

Over in the National League, the playoff bracket is close to set.

The Chicago Cubs (87-69), San Diego Padres (87-69) and Philadelphia Phillies (86-70) are jockeying for position in the wild-card race but will almost certainly make the postseason. The only team within shouting distance is the Arizona Diamondbacks (82-74), who are four games back.

MLB's major awards probably won't have much drama this season.

Both MVP races have strong favorites with Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong running away with the NL honor while Houston's Yordan Alvarez is the probable choice in the AL, though Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero has also had a fantastic season. Alvarez still has a shot at a rare Triple Crown. He leads the AL in batting average at .313 but his 40 homers are one behind Caminero and his 99 RBIs are six back of Baltimore's Pete Alonso.

For the Cy Young Award, Milwaukee flame thrower Jacob Misiorowski and New York ace Cam Schlittler are the favorites in the NL and AL, respectively.

The Rookie of the Year races also look set with Cincinnati's Sal Stewart and his 110-RBI season the leader in the NL and Detroit's Kevin McGonigle the favorite in the AL.

There are 12 teams that qualify for MLB’s postseason, including six teams from both the AL and NL. The three division winners in each league get seeds No. 1 through No. 3, ranked by win-loss record. Then the three wild-card teams get seeds No. 4 through No. 6, also ranked by win-loss record.

The top two teams with the best record in both the AL and NL automatically advance to the Division Series. The other eight teams play in the Wild Card Series, which is a best-of-three format beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 30. In both the AL and NL, the No. 6 seed will travel to face the No. 3 seed while the No. 5 seed goes to No. 4. The higher seed hosts all three games.

The winners then advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.

Wild Card Round: Sept. 29-Oct. 1 (NBC/Peacock)

Division Series: Oct. 3-10 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)

Championship Series: Oct. 11-20 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)

World Series: Oct. 23-31 (FOX)

The Dodgers (+220) are the favorites to capture a third straight World Series title while the Brewers (+600), Yankees (+800) and Rays (+800) are viewed as the top contenders.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) celebrates in the dugout after scoring during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Houston, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong rounds third base on his way to scoring during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge walks back to the dugout after the bottom of the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts, right, is congratulated by Shohei Ohtani, center, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto after the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Brady Tkachuk marvels at how the Carolina Hurricanes “give you no time and space.” He and the Ottawa Senators were swept by them last spring.

Jamie Drysdale called the 'Canes relentless, and teammate Trevor Zegras remembers wave after wave that “over a series, it wears you down.” The Philadelphia Flyers also got swept.

By the Eastern Conference Final, Cole Caufield figured, “They finally got to a point where they were kind of unbeatable.” He and the Montreal Canadiens won the series opener, then lost the next four.

Mitch Marner calls their style a “full-court press” where an opponent needs three good plays to get one good look at the goal. He and the Vegas Golden Knights led the Stanley Cup Final two games to one before losing three in a row and the series.

Carolina is the envy of the NHL after winning it all, but that does not mean other contenders can follow that blueprint. The NHL is a copycat league, but the Hurricanes play such a demanding brand of hockey under coach Rod Brind'Amour that it is nearly impossible to replicate without years of perfecting it and getting the mix of players just right.

“It takes time to get to that level,” said Tkachuk, who's now in place to challenge them with Cup-favorite Florida. “They play such a hard way and a tough way. ... You try different ways to beat them. But they’re just so good at what they do.”

Brind'Amour was a grind-it-out center during his two-decade playing career in the NHL, so it's no surprise a guy nicknamed “Rod the Bod” with a reputation for an intense workout regimen expects a lot from everyone he coaches. Predictability is at the center of Carolina making the playoffs in all eight of his seasons in charge.

“We really haven't changed much: little tweaks here and there," top defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “It’s not a pretty game. It’s just pucks out of your zone into their zone, and it’s just high stress and high compete level.”

It works. Since Brind'Amour took over in 2018, no team has won more games than the Hurricanes.

“They just they have the right guys there,” said Tampa Bay's Jake Guentzel, who played 28 games with them after getting traded to Carolina at the deadline in 2024. “Rod sets the standard at a high level, and you’ve got to buy into the system.”

That means being aggressive and pursuing the puck all over the ice. The idea is to force mistakes and capitalize on them.

“It’s all about the pressure,” said Pavel Dorofeyev, who’s now with the New York Rangers after losing to Carolina in the final with Vegas. “You’re always under the pressure, no matter where you are at in the D-zone, neutral zone, O-zone."

Guentzel said he enjoyed playing for the Hurricanes, but it's not for everyone. Martin Necas got traded to Colorado in January 2025 despite producing at over a point-a-game clip, and the centerpiece of their return, Mikko Rantanen, was dealt to Dallas five weeks later when it was clear he did not want to sign long term.

Marner and others compare the Hurricanes’ style to that of the Panthers, who beat them in the East final in 2023 and ’25. In ’24, Carolina outshot the Rangers 223-156 in the second round but its goaltenders faltered and Igor Shesterkin shined.

One reason it's not easy to copy? Washington's Tom Wilson pointed out, “A lot of times it’s hard for Carolina to play that style.”

“Maybe against Florida the years prior, they play a team that may be a little bit healthier — (the Panthers) didn’t need to play quite that hard,” Wilson said. “You kind of live and die by the sword.”

The title run last spring showed what happens when everything from the net out comes together.

“They did it the right way,” Caufield said. “Obviously, nobody really plays like them, and I think anybody in the league will say that. But the way they do it, it’s detailed. It’s a certain way, and if they don’t do that the right way I don’t think it goes their way.”

With most of the core back, Carolina looks to be the class of the Metropolitan Division and right there with Florida and Tampa Bay at the top of the East. But the Hurricanes, replicating their own success is a challenge in itself.

“Their toughness is their pressure, their skating,” Wilson said. "But, like, will they be able to repeat it all year again and go into the playoffs and go on another run? Good for them if they can.”

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

This story has been updated to correct the game sequence in last year's Cup Final.

FILE - Carolina Hurricanes lead the crowd in a final storm surge with Jordan Staal (11) holding the Stanley Cup during Stanley Cup Celebration in Raleigh, N.C., June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker, File)

FILE - Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal celebrates after a win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

FILE - Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour, right, lifts the Stanley Cup after a win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward, File)

FILE - Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) lifts the Stanley Cup after a win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward, File)