Are the Yankees still in the playoffs? Where the ALDS stands entering Game 3

Why this is trending

People are typing this into Google because the Yankees went into Wednesday night in a 2-0 hole against the Rays in the American League Division Series, and a loss in Game 3 would have ended the season right there. Based on the reporting available here, the Yankees had not been eliminated as of that point, they were fighting to stay alive at home at Yankee Stadium against Tampa Bay. The game was set for 8 p.m. ET on TBS and HBO Max.

What these reports do not say is how Game 3 actually turned out, that result is not in the record here. What happens next is simple to lay out either way. A win sends the series back to a Game 4 at Yankee Stadium and keeps the Yankees' season going. A loss closes the book on 2026.

Boone shakes up the lineup for the elimination game

Manager Aaron Boone made changes to the lineup ahead of Game 3, starting second baseman Anthony Volpe and moving Jose Caballero into the third base spot in place of Ryan McMahon. Boone also bumped outfielder Trent Grisham up to leadoff, looking for more traffic on base ahead of the middle of the order. Boone framed it as wanting to change a couple of things up, and called Volpe and Caballero important parts of the team all season.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., the regular second baseman who started the first two games of the series, was out of the lineup for Game 3. Boone said he did not send Chisholm a text before this game, unlike before Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, but said Chisholm was ready to contribute wherever needed.

Chisholm's rough series capped a rough year

Chisholm came into 2026 chasing 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. He finished the regular season at .231/.312/.399 with 19 homers, 55 RBIs and 41 steals across 137 games, well short of those marks. Through the first two games of the ALDS he was hitless in six at-bats with one walk and one stolen base.

He also committed a throwing error in Game 2, a wide throw to first. Boone said afterward the issue was more about the throw being erratic than about Chisholm choosing to make it in the first place. Chisholm was far from alone in the slump. Heading into Game 3, only Ben Rice and Austin Wells had hit consistently for the Yankees, the rest of the lineup had combined for a single hit in 46 at-bats.

The math the Yankees were working against

The series got away from the Yankees fast. They were nearly no-hit in Game 1, then made four defensive errors in a Game 2 loss at Tropicana Field. Only 10 teams in MLB history have come back from down 2-0 to win a best-of-five playoff series, and the Yankees needed to become the 11th.

CBS Sports analysts were split heading into Game 3. Some gave the Yankees a real shot at pushing the series behind pitchers Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, pointing to the Rays' struggles against left-handed starters, while cautioning that Tampa Bay's Drew Rasmussen has historically given New York trouble. Writers also noted the Rays won 98 games in the regular season and that it would be a mistake to treat Tampa Bay as an underdog just because the Yankees have a bigger name. None of the writers cited here were predicting a full comeback from 0-2. That is the swing that decided the question people are searching for, win Game 3 and the Yankees stay alive for at least one more game, lose it and the playoff run is over.

Facts per MLB.com, CBS Sports. Opinion is the taproom's.