AL Wild Card Series kicks off with the Yankees hosting the Red Sox in a three-game set at Yankee Stadium. New York earned the best late-season run in baseball (31-12 since Aug. 11) and closed with eight straight wins, giving them momentum as they chase a first-round upset of Boston. The Red Sox counter with a dangerous lineup and a bullpen that finished among the league’s best in ERA, FIP, and fWAR, setting the stage for a tightly contested matchup.

Key bats set the tone for Boston, especially if Roman Anthony returns and Anthony’s absence left a noticeable gap in scoring. Brayan Bello and Garrett Crochet anchor the pitching staff, with Story, Duran, Rafaela, and Bregman providing veteran punch. Yankees counter with Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, two pitchers who flipped their trajectories late in the season, and a potential Game 3 shakeup featuring Cam Schlittler as the rookie sensation tries to carry them through a do-or-die final game.

The series hinges on a strong bullpen misdirection: Boston’s late-inning duo of Whitlock and Chapman, plus middle-relief from Weissert and Wilson, versus New York’s depth behind their two aces and a young core that has answered the bell in October. For fantasy players, late-inning arms, lineup protection, and the patience to ride hot streaks will decide where the upside lives in this rivalry.

The 2025 White Sox closed with a rough tally, but a bright youth wave took shape. Colson Montgomery’s 21 homers in 70 games and a 3.3 WAR signal a franchise cornerstone, while Kyle Teel’s June debut added 2.0 WAR and a promising catcher of the present. Rule 5 rookie Shane Smith and steady arms like Davis Martin and Jonathan Cannon supplied hope for 2026. Birmingham Barons’ back-to-back Southern League titles underline the depth, with Quero, Sosa, Baldwin, Elko, Vargas, and Meidroth looming. Michael A. Taylor retires; 2026 looks brighter.

Two struggling teams meet as the Chicago White Sox face the Washington Nationals in what could be a high-scoring affair. Chicago leans on Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel at the top of a cautious lineup while Chase Meidroth and Edgar Quero try to spark production from an offense that has been short on big swings. Washington errors could tilt the balance, but Jake Irvin and the Nationals are themselves fighting an uphill battle. With Tyler Gilbert opening and Sean Burke in a bullpen-heavy plan, fantasy managers should expect runs and volatility, as the White Sox chase a rare win late in a brutal season.

The pitching matchup hints at plenty of scoring, with Irvin's inflated ERA and Sox bullpen usage shaping the game flow. Montgomery's OPS over .800 and Teel near .800 anchor a fragile roster, while Meidroth and Quero struggle to climb above sub-par marks. Losses piling up for both clubs make this an unusual fantasy pivot—look for late-game opportunities on both sides, especially with four Washington errors potentially creating cheap counting stats for Chicago.