Top Milestones and MLB Records To Watch in 2026

Even though baseball is a team sport, we as fans can’t help but marvel at the success of the individual.

While Clayton Kershaw retired after last season, there are several Hall of Fame-caliber players remaining in the league. Not only that, but many of those players are closing in on major milestones that’ll go a long way towards cementing their legacies.

Even for those who aren’t ticketed for Cooperstown, these milestones serve as a reminder of how great their careers were. Whether that be a home run, strikeout, or hit milestone, there are many players knocking on the door of MLB history.

Now that the MLB season is a week old, we’ve already caught a glimpse of the kinds of seasons in store for some of the game’s best. While this week has been largely owned by young stars, here are some of the veterans closing in on major milestones in 2026.

Stats updated prior to games on April 2.

Who Could Reach 400 Career Home Runs in 2026?

There’s a world where at least four of these players hit that plateau with relative ease. However, the likeliest is, not shockingly, the perennial American League MVP.

The fact that Judge is still merely closing in on 400 home runs, despite being a three-time MVP, seven-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, and having already north of 60 fWAR, comes as a surprise. However, in spite of that, it’s worth remembering he’s had that decorated career in just 1,151 games played.

Judge isn’t the only former MVP on this list, as his current teammate Goldschmidt, as well as WBC teammate Harper, are also within spitting distance of 400. Both are off to slow starts this season, with Harper specifically opening the year with a .425 OPS across 27 plate appearances. However, they’ve got nothing if not pedigree at the MLB level.

As for Machado and Freeman, both former stars on the East Coast turned NL West rivals. Neither has homered yet in 2026, but they’re as steady as they come. Neither needs to reach 400 homers to cement a Hall of Fame legacy, though it certainly won’t hurt their respective cases.

Five Players Who Could Reach 1,000 Career RBIs in 2026

A fun exercise here might be guessing which of these players reaches 1,000 first. To be honest, there’s a real argument for any of them, but in all likelihood, it’ll be one of the top three.

Suárez is off to a slow start in his encore with the Cincinnati Reds but still finds himself as a primary run producer. Despite his 54 wRC+, the veteran slugger has two home runs and six runs driven in.

Hitting in the middle of a lineup surrounded by Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart should present Suárez with many RBI chances, especially early in 2026. That can go a long way in getting him across that 1,000-RBI plateau.

As for Ramírez, it’s wild to think he hasn’t achieved 1,000 runs batted in. Since debuting in 2013, he’s been the pinnacle of consistency. He’s an animal and, barring injury, should waltz into another season challenging 30 homers and 100 driven in.

For Ozuna and Castellanos, it’s a matter of bouncing back in 2026. The latter still drove in over 70 runs in 2025, but his offensive production was never the same in Philadelphia as it was in Cincinnati.

Ozuna is off to a bad start in Pittsburgh, following a down year in Atlanta. He’s another guy who’s always been relied upon to drive in runs, but he hasn’t through five games in 2026.

Betts is off to a slow start to the year as well, but already has five runs batted in. Given how last year went, a lot of eyes will be on him to see if that was just a blip, and if an early-season illness hindered him all year.

Even if he’s not back to his MVP self, he’ll still be an RBI producer for the star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers.

Who Can Reach Top Hits Milestones in 2026?

Three likely Hall of Famers are knocking on the door of hits milestones as 2026 gets underway. Reaching said plateaus for all three, at this point, would be gravy. Especially Freeman, a three-time World Series champion on the brink of 65 fWAR.

Altuve’s Hall of Fame case obviously has a stain on it, due to the Houston Astros cheating scandal from the late-2010s. While there’s serious speculation surrounding his involvement, that’ll follow him for the rest of his baseball career.

The further he can get away from that noise, the better. The only way to do that is to continue stacking impressive seasons and accumulating accolades along the way. That 2022 World Series title helps a lot, as does his continued steady production.

He’s off to a white-hot start to his 2026 campaign, with a 265 wRC+ across his first 27 plate appearances.

For Arenado, it’s hard to fathom he could play himself out of Hall of Fame consideration, but it’s worth noting just how much his offense has sputtered since his MVP-caliber season in 2022. He saw his wRC+ dip to 84 last year.

Getting to 2,000 hits by season’s end still seems highly likely. Even with injuries and poor performance, he mustered 95 hits last year.

Again, it’s hard to imagine a career as decorated as his to date gets completely derailed by the aging curve, but he’s got to start hitting these milestones to really give his Hall of Fame case that added substance.

Who Could Reach 2,000 Career Strikeouts in 2026?

In a league in which strikeouts are becoming more and more prevalent, these four are among the best of this generation.

Gausman’s come out of the gates on fire, striking out 21 batters in his first 12 innings. During that span, he’s walked no one and allowed just three hits. He’s been fantastic, looking a lot like his 2023 Cy Young finalist self.

Despite being accompanied by a new “ace” in Toronto (Dylan Cease), Gausman appears unwilling to pass on that title.

Gray struggled in his season debut for the Red Sox but still managed five strikeouts in four subpar innings. Over the years, he’s managed to maintain status as an elite strikeout artist, while also showing a proficiency for pouring in strikes.

As for Nola, he’s had something of an up-and-down career in preventing runs. However, he’s never had a problem racking up the punchouts. In his season debut, he gave up two homers but struck out seven.

Had it not been for an injury-shortened 2025, he may already be at 2,000. That said, it’s hard to imagine him not getting at least 117 more this season.

Lastly, deGrom’s ability to reach 2,000 this year is entirely predicated on health. From 2022 through 2024, he struck out a total of 161 batters. Last year? 185. Translation: If he’s on the field, he’ll continue to miss bats — which is great for him and the Texas Rangers.

The veteran right-hander is running out of time to cement a Hall of Fame career. Despite being the consensus top pitcher in the world for several years, he’s spent so much time on the shelf. This year is a big one for him.

MLB Legends Moving Up the All-Time Leaderboard

Kenley Jansen Chasing 500 Saves

The one thing most assumed when Jansen hit free agency this past winter was that he’d go somewhere he could rack up saves. That ended up being Detroit.

This year, he’s already gotten two opportunities, going 1-for-2 to get him up to 477 career saves.

The right-hander hasn’t saved fewer than 24 games — the amount he needs this year to reach 500 — in a full season since 2011. Barring a dramatic hit to his production, it’s hard to imagine him finishing below that mark in 2026. Thus far, he’s faced five batters, striking out four and allowing a home run.

Stuff-wise, he looks sharp, minus one homer. Playing on a good team with legitimate aspirations at a title in 2026, this could be a big year for the 38-year-old.

Aroldis Chapman Could Move Into the Top 10 All-Time in Saves

Entering 2026, the Red Sox left-hander was 13th in MLB history in saves with 366. Following an Opening Day save against his former team, the Reds, he’s tied for 12th.

Currently 10th on the list is former All-Star right-hander Joe Nathan with 377. Ninth on the list is Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, who has 390.

Barring injury, or steep regression, Chapman should cruise into the top 10, with a strong likelihood of jumping into ninth. It’s wild the difference a year can make, as last year at this time, the narrative surrounding the flamethrower was a complete 180 from where it is now.

He’s always been talented but erratic with his command. In 2025, he posted a career-best walk rate of 6.6 percent. Early returns on his velocity aren’t that of last year, but his command seems just as in check. Even though the Red Sox are just 1-5, he’ll get many chances to add to his already impressive, and borderline Hall of Fame, career.

Giancarlo Stanton‘s Outside Shot at 500 Home Runs

It would take the best power-hitting season of his Yankees career, but there’s a nonzero chance Stanton finishes the year with 500 career home runs.

Sure, the most he’s hit in a season since his 2017 MVP campaign is 38 (2018), and he would need to hit 47 total in 2026. However, he is off to a strong start.

Health is wealth for Stanton. Even though he’s susceptible to long stretches of limited contact, the contact he does make is impactful. Keeping himself on the field is paramount, though. After playing 158 games in 2018, he’s only played more than 120 once since.

The conversation surrounding his career gets really interesting once that home run tracker starts with a five, though. Being a designated hitter for as long as he has, Stanton only has 45.0 fWAR across 1,731 games. Since winning an MVP with the Marlins, he’s never had a season with more than 3.8.

That said, 19 of the 28 members of the 500-homer club are in the Hall of Fame.

Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer Continue To Climb the Ranks

The veteran right-handers entered the 2026 season eighth and 11th, respectively, on the all-time strikeout list. Verlander is less than 90 away from the top six, less than 150 away from the top five.

As for Scherzer, he’s 17 away from sole possession of 10th all-time.

Both arms are still effective and remain key pieces of postseason-hopeful pitching staffs. While Verlander’s return to Detroit gives more of a swan song vibe, there’s recent precedent that returning to old stomping grounds doesn’t necessarily mean retirement is on the horizon.

As for Scherzer, he came within one game of his second World Series title a year ago. His career is nothing if not Hall of Fame caliber, but a second ring would be a tremendous way to ride off into the sunset if this is near the end of his line in MLB.