With the final month of MLB’s regular season dawning, races for the top of the division and wild-card berths are going to do nothing but intensify.
As those races heat up in September, here are five players who could determine just where their team lands in the postseason … or if their team makes it at all.
Aaron Judge
All rise as the Yankees captain is hoping to be back in the New York lineup sometime this month.
It will mark Judge’s first time in the lineup since May 31 as he has been recovering from a right rib fracture. His return will be a welcome sight for a Yankees offense that has sputtered without him, ranking in MLB’s bottom three teams in runs scored, OPS, wRC+ and batting average while he has been shelved.
If the Yankees are still within striking distance of the American League East crown when Judge returns, the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays certainly won’t be able to let up.
Shohei Ohtani
There are multiple layers to Ohtani’s importance for the Los Angeles Dodgers in September, including exactly when he returns to the mound for the first time since July 3.
That will give the Dodgers another weapon in the rotation, with Ohtani’s 1.79 ERA through his first 14 starts of the season demonstrating just how dominant he can be.
However, Ohtani also needs to find his stride at the plate as well for Los Angeles for the Dodgers to be hitting on all gears heading into the postseason. Heading into Saturday’s action, Ohtani was hitting just .225 over his last 14 games (49 at-bats).
Pete Crow-Armstrong
It’s hard lately to talk about Ohtani without mentioning PCA as well as the National League MVP race should go down to the wire.
While PCA may be pushing to win the honor, he’s also continuing to be a catalyst for a Chicago Cubs team that is, entering Saturday, just 4-6 over their last 10 games and struggling to hold on to the top NL wild-card spot with the Philadelphia Phillies just one game back.
As Chicago’s catalyst, PCA must continue to play at a high level for the Cubs to enter the postseason with momentum. Six September games against the division rival Milwaukee Brewers could tell a lot about which direction the Cubs are heading as well as PCA’s chances at an MVP award.
Zack Wheeler
The Phillies starter is scheduled to start again on Sunday, his final start of August. He and the Phillies both need it to go well after what has been a disastrous second half of the season.
After posting a 2.13 ERA in his first 15 starts of the season, Wheeler’s ERA has skyrocketed since the All-Star break, with a 7.18 ERA through his seven starts since the Midsummer Classic. He’s also 0-4 during that stretch.
The 36-year-old right-hander can’t be a question mark for the Phillies heading into October. While the Phillies have a 95.5 percent to make the postseason heading into Saturday’s action, Wheeler’s performance will be under the microscope the rest of the regular season.
Miguel Vargas
Perhaps a surprise entrant on the list, Vargas and the division-leading Chicago White Sox have done nothing but surprise all season.
Entering Saturday, Vargas needs just one home run to join Robin Ventura (1996) and Joe Crede (2006) as the only primary third basemen in White Sox history to log 30 doubles and 30 homers in a single season.
Vargas is also leading the AL in runs scored this year with 92 before Saturday’s action, a testament to how much he means to the White Sox offense.
If Chicago is going to cap off its worst to first run with an AL Central crown this season, Vargas (with his team-leading 4.6 bWAR) must continue to play at a high level.