September put a hard finish on the 2026 regular season, and no player closed louder than Kansas City catcher Carter Jensen. The 23-year-old left-handed rookie claimed both American League Player and Rookie of the Month, while Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz, Tampa Bay’s Freddy Peralta and Pittsburgh’s Jared Jones headlined the league’s other September honors.
Key takeaways
- Jensen hit .338 with eight home runs and a 1.194 OPS over 21 games, leading the Majors with 19 extra-base hits.
- De La Cruz delivered a .348/.437/.719 September, hitting nine homers and stealing six bags to complete a 30-homer, 30-steal season.
- Peralta gave up only three earned runs in 28 innings across five starts for the Rays after arriving from the Mets in August.
- Jones led National League pitchers with 40 strikeouts and posted a 0.59 WHIP in five September outings.
- Guardians closer Cade Smith worked 13 scoreless innings, recording six saves as Cleveland secured a postseason place and later the AL Central.
Jensen and De La Cruz set the offensive pace
Jensen made September his second straight month as AL Player of the Month, following the path of fellow Royals youngster Jac Caglianone. The rookie backstop finished his first big league campaign with eight September homers, while his 19 extra-base hits led all of baseball. Among qualified hitters, nobody topped his 1.194 OPS.
His award sweep carried another historical note. Jensen became the first position player to take Player and Rookie of the Month honors in the same month since Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz did it in July 2025. He led AL rookies in runs scored with 19, doubles with 10, homers with eight and total bases with 63. The eight homers were the most by a Kansas City rookie in a calendar month since Bob Hamelin hit nine in July 1994.
In the National League, De La Cruz gave the Reds a September charge built around a pair of overlapping streaks. He homered in five straight games and produced multiple hits in six consecutive contests. Over 103 plate appearances, the Cincinnati star collected nine homers and six steals while putting up a .348 average, .437 on-base percentage and .719 slugging mark.
The month brought De La Cruz to 30 home runs and 30 steals for the season. He is the fourth Reds player to post a 30-30 year in franchise history.
Colorado rookie Cole Carrigg earned NL Rookie of the Month after a late surge gave his season-ending line real lift. Carrigg batted .327 with six home runs and a .911 OPS in September, then caught fire over his last 13 games. He hit .389/.400/.704 in that stretch, with five homers, 14 RBIs and two four-hit games.
Peralta, Jones and the bullpen arms finish on top
Peralta’s season looked very different after his Aug. 2 move from the Mets to the Rays. Through 22 starts in New York, he carried a 4.99 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. In five September starts for Tampa Bay, the right-hander surrendered three earned runs and one homer over 28 innings. Opponents hit .162 against him, and his WHIP for the month was 0.89.
Jones was even more suffocating for Pittsburgh. The Pirates right-hander allowed no runs in four of five starts, and three of those outings featured no more than one hit allowed. He issued four walks across 29 innings, struck out 40 hitters to lead the NL, and finished with a 0.59 WHIP. Jones joined Paul Skenes as the only Pirates pitchers to win NL Pitcher of the Month since the beginning of 2018.
Smith handled the late innings for Cleveland with the same authority. The right-hander did not allow a run over 13 September innings, permitting three hits and two walks while striking out 21. He converted six saves during the month and ended the season tied for the MLB lead with 41 saves. His final save clinched the Guardians’ playoff berth, two days before Cleveland wrapped up the AL Central title.
Pittsburgh’s Mason Montgomery took NL Reliever of the Month after a sustained run that extended well beyond September. From July 27 through Sept. 25, the left-hander threw 24 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, piling up 37 strikeouts against seven walks. He was tagged for three runs in his next-to-last appearance on Saturday, but outside that outing he allowed five hits and struck out 15 over 12 1/3 innings down the stretch.
