MLB postseason rosters have 26 players, with no more than 13 pitchers. Clubs submit a roster before each series and may change it before the next one. Eligibility usually depends on being on the club’s 40-man roster before Sept. 1 or on the 60-day injured list entering September; limited injury-replacement exceptions require approval.
How many players are on an MLB playoff roster?
Each club carries 26 players into a postseason series. The postseason pitcher limit is 13. These are postseason rules, not the regular-season September roster rules: MLB’s glossary says regular-season clubs may carry 28 players in September, while postseason rosters are limited to 26. See MLB’s 26-man roster glossary.
When are postseason rosters submitted?
Teams submit their rosters before the start of each series and may make changes before a later series. MLB’s 2026 postseason explainer, published Sept. 30, 2026, does not specify an exact filing hour or time zone, so there is no confirmed clock-time deadline to cite. A roster chosen for one series is not necessarily the roster for the next.
Who is eligible for a postseason roster?
Ordinary eligibility
Under MLB’s current-season 2026 explanation, the ordinary eligible group includes players on the club’s 40-man roster before Sept. 1 and players on the 60-day injured list entering September. A September call-up can therefore be eligible if the player meets the applicable roster cutoff; simply being called up during September does not by itself establish eligibility. The current explanation describes the cutoff as “prior to Sept. 1” for the 40-man roster and “entering September” for the 60-day injured list.
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Injury-replacement petitions
A player outside the ordinary eligible group may be approved by petition to the Commissioner’s Office to replace an injured player, but this is not an automatic way to add any minor leaguer. The proposed replacement must have been in the organization by Aug. 31, and the injured player must have served the minimum injured-list time required for activation. MLB gives at least 10 days on the 10-day injured list or 60 days on the 60-day injured list as examples. See MLB’s postseason eligibility glossary.
The “in the organization by Aug. 31” condition applies to this petition route; it does not make the player automatically eligible. Players who joined the organization after Aug. 31 are barred from postseason play. MLB also says a player suspended during the year for performance-enhancing drugs is ineligible. A restricted-list player may be eligible only if the player did not receive a PED suspension that year.
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Can a team replace an injured player during a series?
A club may ask to replace a player injured during a series. The substitution must match roles: pitcher for pitcher or position player for position player. If approved, the removed player cannot return for the remainder of that round or the next round, if the club advances. This is different from changing the roster between series, when the club submits a new roster for the next series.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does the deadline mean noon on Sept. 1?
Not as a confirmed 2026 deadline. MLB’s glossary gives noon ET on Sept. 1 as the cutoff for the 40-man roster or 60-day injured list for the 2025 season. That season-specific wording should not be carried forward as a 2026 filing time. MLB’s 2026 explainer instead says the relevant roster status must be in place before Sept. 1 or by the start of September, depending on the eligibility route; it does not state an hour for submitting the postseason roster.
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