Sat, Oct. 24 · 1 game · Stat Lab #31: The 40-man and 26-man rosters · 6-min read
Press time 10:47 CET · Final 1/1 · Statcast: posted
- Last night: 1 final
- Game of the Night: Rays 4, Brewers 5 · Drama 3.69 ★★★★
- World Series: TB-MIL: Brewers lead 2-0
- Stat Lab #31: The 40-man and 26-man rosters
- Jump to: Glance · Scoreboard · Bracket · Game of the Night · Performers · Statcast · Stat Lab · World · Web · Terms · Sources
Last Night at a Glance
- World Series Game 2: Rays 4, Brewers 5 · Brewers lead 2-0
- Comebacks: Brewers from 4 down: Rays 4, Brewers 5
Scoreboard
| Matchup | Final | Drama | Decisions | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB @ MIL | 4-5 | 3.69 ★★★★ | W Uribe · L Wells · S Ashby | Box · Savant |
The Bracket
Wild Card Series (best of three, every game at the higher seed)
- AL: White Sox at Astros: White Sox win 2-0.
- AL: Red Sox at Yankees: Yankees win 2-0.
- NL: Phillies at Braves: Braves win 2-1.
- NL: Cubs at Padres: Padres win 2-0.
Division Series (best of five)
- AL: Yankees at Rays: Rays win 3-0.
- AL: White Sox at Guardians: Guardians win 3-2.
- NL: Padres at Brewers: Brewers win 3-1.
- NL: Braves at Dodgers: Dodgers win 3-1.
Championship Series (best of seven)
- AL: Guardians at Rays: Rays win 4-2.
- NL: Dodgers at Brewers: Brewers win 4-0.
World Series (best of seven)
- Rays at Brewers: Brewers lead 2-0 · Game 3: Tue, Oct. 27, 01:00 CET (8:00 p.m. ET) · history: up 2-0 in a best-of-seven, 79 of 95 won the series.
Game of the Night: Rays 4, Brewers 5
- Drama Index 3.69 ★★★★ · 1 lead change · Brewers came back from 4 down · peak leverage 4.82 (top 9th)
- In history: 100th most dramatic of 707 World Series games since 1903 (Retrosheet) · The most dramatic World Series games
- Top WPA: Aaron Ashby +0.23 (pitcher) · Sal Frelick +0.21 (batter) · Abner Uribe +0.18 (pitcher)
- Bottom WPA: Logan Henderson -0.21 (pitcher) · Yandy Díaz -0.18 (batter) · Ian Seymour -0.18 (pitcher)
Watch: condensed game, 26 min · recap, 7 min (MLB.com)
| Inning | Matchup | Result | Win probability | WPA | LI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 9th | Jonny DeLuca vs. Aaron Ashby | Double | TB 16% → 36% | +0.20 | 2.87 |
| Bot 6th | Sal Frelick vs. Ian Seymour | Home Run | MIL 40% → 58% | +0.18 | 1.56 |
| Top 9th | Yandy Díaz vs. Aaron Ashby | Strikeout | TB 13% → 0% | -0.13 | 4.82 |
Top Performers
| Starter | Game | IP | H | R (ER) | BB | K | Pitches | GSc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Rasmussen | TB @ MIL | 3.2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 89 | 41 |
| Logan Henderson | MIL vs. TB | 3.0 | 3 | 4 (3) | 1 | 4 | 64 | 36 |
| Batter | Team | Line | WPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sal Frelick | MIL | 2-for-4, HR, 1 RBI | +0.21 |
| Jonny DeLuca | TB | 2-for-4, 2B | +0.17 |
| Liam Hicks | TB | 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI | +0.16 |
| Jake Bauers | MIL | 1-for-3, 2 BB | +0.06 |
| Cooper Pratt | MIL | 1-for-3, 1 RBI, BB, SB | +0.05 |
Statcast Corner
| Category | Player | Detail | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardest-hit ball | Garrett Mitchell (MIL) | 112.3 mph (181 km/h) single off Drew Rasmussen | TB @ MIL, bot 1 |
| Unluckiest out | Brice Turang (MIL) | line drive out, xBA .780, 108.5 mph (175 km/h), caught by 2B Richie Palacios | TB @ MIL, bot 1 |
| Fastest pitch | Abner Uribe (MIL) | 100.3 mph (161 km/h) sinker to Jonathan Aranda | TB @ MIL, top 7 |
| Longest home run | Liam Hicks (TB) | 411 ft (125 m), 102.4 mph (165 km/h) | TB @ MIL, top 1 |
Stat Lab · Lesson 31: The 40-man and 26-man rosters
Rosters are not fixed lists. Over the season, about 49 players per club got into a big league game, for 26 active spots. Clubs shuffle players between the majors and the minors all year, within two limits: 26 active players, and 40 on the 40-man roster.
The idea. The 26-man roster is the active roster, the players who can appear in today’s game. It grows to 28 on September 1 and holds at most 13 pitchers (14 once it is 28); a doubleheader allows a 27th man. The 40-man roster adds the players on optional assignment to the minors and on the short injured lists; the 60-day list doesn’t count against the 40. Only 40-man players can be called up. Sending one down uses minor league options: usually three option years, and several trips in one season use just one. A player out of options must first pass through waivers, where other clubs can claim him in reverse order of the standings. A player designated for assignment leaves the 40-man at once, and the club has a few days to trade, release or waive him.
The math. Thirty clubs × 26 = 780 active spots, and 30 × 40 = 1,200 places on 40-man rosters. The season’s stats count about 1,470 players who got into a game: 1,470 ÷ 30 = 49 per club, or 1.9 players for every active spot. That is about 270 more players than all the 40-man rosters can hold at one time.
The scale. Pitchers turn over fastest: about 870 pitched in a game, 59% of everyone used, or about 29 per club for 13 pitching spots. That average is the baseline: a club far above it has usually fought injuries or shuttled arms to and from the minors; one well below it has stayed healthy.
What it doesn’t tell you:
- Games played can’t tell a call-up from a comeback: a player with one or two games may be up from the minors, back from a long injury or newly signed.
- The pitcher count includes position players who threw a mop-up inning in a blowout.
- The stats show who played, not the moves behind it: options, designations and claims live in each club’s transaction log.
Try it. Every November, clubs must set their 40-man rosters to protect prospects from the Rule 5 draft in December: a player signed at 18 or younger must be protected after five seasons, one signed at 19 or older after four. When the lists come out, check which prospects your club added, and whom it left exposed.
Go deeper: MLB Glossary: 40-man roster · MLB Glossary: minor league options · MLB Glossary: Rule 5 draft
Check yourself
- Q1. A player out of options is sent to the minors. What happens on the way?
- Q2. Why do clubs add prospects to their 40-man rosters in November?
- Q3. Does a player on the 60-day injured list take up one of the 40 spots?
Show answers
- A1. He must go through waivers first. Any other club can claim him, in reverse order of the standings.
- A2. To protect them from the Rule 5 draft in December. A player signed at 18 or younger must be protected after five seasons, one signed at 19 or older after four.
- A3. No. The 60-day injured list does not count against the 40, which is why clubs move long-term injuries there when they need a spot.
Around the World
- Dominican Winter League: Gigantes 11, Estrellas 12 (walk-off) ★★★★★ · Tigres 6, Aguilas 2 ★★★★ · Toros 0, Leones 2 (shutout) ★★
- Venezuelan Winter League: Caribes 10, Tiburones 5 ★★★★ · Cardenales 4, Tigres 3 ★★★ · Navegantes 1, Leones 10 ★★★ · Aguilas 1, Bravos 6 ★
- Mexican Pacific League: Nayarit 7, Navojoa 5 ★★★★★ · Guasave 5, Culiacan 4 ★★★★ · Jalisco 4, Mazatlan 6 ★★★★ · Los Mochis 6, Obregon 7 ★★★ · Hermosillo 3, Mexicali 6 ★★
- Arizona Fall League: Scorpions 4, Desert Dogs 5 (8, walk-off) ★★★★ · Javelinas 3, Solar Sox 7 ★★★ · Saguaros 5, Rafters 3 ★★
Around the Web
Last Night’s Games
- Rays 4, Brewers 5 — Key takeaways as Brewers take commanding 2-0 lead in World Series (MLB.com)
News
- Comeback Crew has been must-see all October — and ’82 squad loves every minute — MLB.com
- 2026 MLB Playoffs Tracker: Bracket, schedule, results, scores, matchups for AL, NL postseason games — NBC Sports
- What Rob Manfred and the MLBPA said about salary cap fight as lockout looms over 2026 World Series — CBS Sports
- World Series Game 1 Weird & Wild: Brewers’ winning formula — don’t press start — The Athletic (subscription)
Transactions & Rumors
- Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Dodgers — MLB Trade Rumors
- Eugenio Suarez Could Be A Bargain — MLB Trade Rumors
Analysis · Listen (7)
Analysis
- Small Is the Man Who Leads to Sal-Vation — FanGraphs
- Brewers Notebook: Crew’s Usual Suspects Secure Thrilling Game 1 Win — Just Baseball
- TWF 169 – PL Podcast Network Mock Draft — Pitcher List
- World Series Game 2 Preview: Brewers Get Lead, Rays Get Their Ace — Baseball Prospectus (subscription)
Listen
- WORLD SERIES GAME 1 IS IN THE BOOKS – Milwaukee Wins Thriller Over Tampa Bay Under Further Review — Locked On MLB · 31 min
- Effectively Wild Episode 2548: Bullpen Blame — Effectively Wild · 27 min
- Brewers Survive Game 1 CHAOS! Can the Rays Even the World Series? — Rates & Barrels · 47 min
Terms in This Post
Drama Index · Leverage Index (LI) · Win Probability Added (WPA) · Hard-Hit Rate (HardHit%) · Barrel · every term in the Glossary
Sources & Notes
Built automatically from MLB Stats API and Baseball Savant data; numbers through Oct. 24, 2026, with FIP, xFIP, WAR and wRC+ up to a day behind. Highlight videos link to MLB.com. The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at “www.retrosheet.org”. How this site works