The 2026 MLB regular season wrapped up Sunday, September 27, and with it came a milestone for Mexican baseball: nine players representing Mexico will be in the postseason — one more than the eight who made it in 2025. They span seven of the twelve playoff clubs, from a lights-out closer to the most productive bat in the group. Here’s who they are, where they’re playing, and what they bring to October.
The Full List: Nine Names, Seven Teams
- Tampa Bay Rays: Jonathan Aranda, Manuel Rodríguez
- Boston Red Sox: Jarren Durán, Patrick Sandoval
- Chicago Cubs: Javier Assad
- Milwaukee Brewers: Joey Ortiz, JoJo Romero
- Houston Astros: Isaac Paredes
One important caveat before locking this in: every club submits a 26-man roster before each round, and that roster can change. Manuel Rodríguez, for instance, finished the regular season on a rehab assignment with a lower back issue — whether Tampa Bay activates him depends on a decision the club will make in the coming hours. The number nine reflects what was reported at the close of the regular season, not a guarantee of who suits up in every game.
Aranda Leads the Group; Assad Returns; Durán’s Role Is Up in the Air
If there’s one Mexican player arriving in October with the strongest numbers, it’s Jonathan Aranda. The Tijuana native closed the regular season hitting .277 with 22 home runs, 92 RBI, and an .798 OPS — the best campaign of his big-league career and the reason Tampa Bay has him penciled in as a key piece of their postseason lineup.
Javier Assad is back in the playoffs with the Cubs, who earned a National League Wild Card spot. Assad has already pitched in October before and arrives with big-game experience, making him a reliable option in Chicago’s rotation.
Jarren Durán‘s situation is more complicated. The outfielder born in Corona, California — who represents Mexico in international competition, including the bronze-medal run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic — had an uneven regular season with Boston: .207 AVG, 20 home runs, and a .629 OPS in 147 games. Those numbers put him more in platoon territory than in Boston’s everyday lineup for October. Heavy.com already flagged that the Red Sox have a tough call to make with him.
A Trend That Keeps Growing
To put nine in context: there were eight Mexican players in the 2025 postseason, according to ESPN Deportes. The year before that, the number was smaller. This isn’t a one-season fluke — it’s a curve that keeps pointing up.
Of the nine names in 2026, Joey Ortiz and JoJo Romero head to Milwaukee, one of the NL’s most consistent teams. Patrick Sandoval slots into Boston’s rotation as another Mexican arm in the Wild Card round. And Isaac Paredes, now with Houston, knows October baseball well after his years in Tampa Bay.
The Wild Card Series begin Tuesday, September 29. In at least one of those series — probably more than one — there will be a Mexican player at the plate or on the mound. Nine reasons to pay attention to October.
