Here is what the MLB playoff picture looks like as each team enters a crucial series to fight for the division and Wild Card spot.

On Sept. 28, 2025, Francona was where he needed to be, in Milwaukee playing for something as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Francona, in his first year as the Reds manager, took the team to Game 162 with a chance to lead his club to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

The former Guardians manager has Cincinnati tied for the final NL wild card spot in his first season, echoing his playoff-bound debut with Cleveland a decade ago.

The Yankees hold a four-game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card race and still have the chance to topple division leaders the Toronto Blue Jays, who hold a 2.0 game advantage over the Yankees in the AL East. The Bronx Bombers seem like a lock for the postseason after winning seven of their last 10 games.

Former Cincinnati Reds catcher Chuckie Robinson was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, according to a report from David O’Brien of The Athletic. Robinson played in 25 games for the Reds in 2022, slashing .136/.136/.271 with four extra-base hits,

This week, the Guardians have a chance to complete the biggest comeback in the history of divisional play. Sports commentator Terry Pluto says credit goes to manager Stephen Vogt, who he says has guided the team through adversity.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said in the midst of Cleveland’s 10-game losing streak in early July that there was light at the end of the tunnel and things would turn around. Vogt ended up selling his team a little short.

Alejandro Kirk hit two home runs, including his first career grand slam, and the Toronto Blue Jays clinched their first AL East title in a decade by routing the Tampa Bay Rays 13-4 in their regular-season finale Sunday.

Only 162 difficult and strenuous games later, both the Reds and Guardians find themselves in the postseason mix, though both teams had to sweat it out over the last handful of games. It took until the very last game for the Reds to find out their postseason fate,