MLB's Tightest Playoff Race Hinges on Injured Star Returns
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- Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet are nearing returns for the Boston Red Sox, who have gone 32-7 since June 25 despite missing their two best players — Anthony since May 4 with a partially torn right wrist tendon, and Crochet since late April with shoulder inflammation.
- Felix Bautista and Ryan Helsley are approaching returns for the Baltimore Orioles, who sit just two games out of a playoff spot despite trading Adley Rutschman last week; Bautista is throwing to hitters in live BP after 2025 shoulder surgery while Helsley has resumed throwing from elbow inflammation.
- Corbin Burnes is throwing off a mound for the Arizona Diamondbacks after Tommy John surgery in June 2025 and a subsequent shoulder strain — the D-backs ace has logged just 11 starts on his six-year, $210 million deal signed in December 2024, and his rotation is also without Zac Gallen, Michael Soroka, and Ryne Nelson.
- Edward Cabrera and Daniel Palencia are nearing returns for the Chicago Cubs, who added Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, and Ryan Zeferjahn at the trade deadline; the Cubs currently have four starters and eight relievers on the IL after Palencia posted a 2.86 ERA with 25 saves since the start of last year.
- Carlos Correa was cleared to swing a bat by doctors Tuesday after May 11 ankle surgery initially expected to cost him the season; he told reporters, "I wouldn't be doing all this work if I didn't think there was a chance," potentially cutting his recovery timetable in half.
- Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin are the Pittsburgh Pirates' most dynamic hitters returning from injury — Cruz started a rehab assignment Friday with fourth- and fifth-metacarpal fractures, and Griffin is hoping to return from a torn sagittal band in early- to mid-September as Pittsburgh seeks its first playoff appearance in 11 years.
- The 2026 MLB trade deadline produced 42 trades involving 118 players on the final day, with 23 teams entering August within four games of a playoff spot — the most muddled postseason picture in years.
Why it matters: With 23 teams within four games of a playoff spot entering August, the difference between October baseball and going home may hinge on which contender gets its injured stars back first. Boston's 32-7 run without Anthony and Crochet shows how much further the Red Sox could climb with their two best players, while Baltimore sits two games out despite trading its franchise cornerstone Rutschman.
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