MLB The Show 26 Store

MLB The Show 26 just received a fresh update, and May Spotlight Drop 3 Program has arrived, bringing a handful of new players into the fold.

Though May Spotlight Drop 3 Program is modest, the rewards are still well worth chasing. Let's break down every player available, the challenges that await.

May Spotlight Drop 3 Program

The reward structure for Drop 3 mirrors what we saw in the first two drops - the real difference lies in the players themselves:

• 10 Points: 91 OVR Topps Now Brandon Sproat
• 20 Points: 92 OVR Topps Now A.J. Ewing
• 30 Points: 2,500 XP
• 40 Points: May Spotlight Drop 3 pack
• 50 Points: 94 OVR Spotlight Nick Kurtz & 2,500 XP

Complete every task and you can actually walk away with 4 players, though what you pull from May Spotlight Drop 3 pack comes down to luck. Let's start with the guaranteed names along the reward path.

91 OVR Topps Now Brandon Sproat

• H/9 Right: 83
• H/9 Left: 92
• K/9 Right: 92
• K/9 Left: 90
• Control: 71
• Pitch Clutch: 92
• Stamina: 88
• Velocity: 99
• Break: 91
• Stuff: 84
• HR/9: 63
• BB/9: 71

The Control figure is on the lower side, which could make a Control Mod essential. His pitch mix, however, is quite appealing: Cutter, Sinker, 4-Seam, Sweeper and Slurve. He also comes equipped with Quirks like Break Outlier, Stopper and Pickoff Artist. All things considered, if you need to fill out a rotation spot, he is a viable option.

92 OVR Topps Now A.J. Ewing

• Contact Right: 97
• Contact Left: 96
• Power Right: 76
• Power Left: 65
• Vision: 70
• Discipline: 104
• Clutch: 103
• Bunt: 45
• Drag Bunt: 40
• Durability: 96
• Fielding: 81
• Speed: 91

A.J. Ewing brings plenty of speed and more than capable defense. Should you need a pinch runner, there is no better choice.

94 OVR Spotlight Nick Kurtz

• Contact Right: 109
• Contact Left: 94
• Power Right: 95
• Power Left: 96
• Vision: 54
• Discipline: 125
• Clutch: 110
• Bunt: 35
• Drag Bunt: 25
• Durability: 92

Nick Kurtz stands as the headliner of May Spotlight Drop 3 Program. His hitting ability is exceptional, though his defense is decidedly ordinary. Yet it's the offensive firepower that truly defines him - a card that absolutely cannot be overlooked.

May Spotlight Drop 3 Pack Players

New players in May Spotlight Drop 3 Pack can be obtained through market trading. Collecting players from the Spotlight and Topps Now series in the pack will earn you 15 and 35 points respectively. If you have enough MLB The Show 26 stubs, you can consider this method to May Spotlight Drop 3 Program.

94 OVR Spotlight Daylen Lile

Daylen Lile features high contact and some pop against right-handed pitching, but he struggles when facing southpaws. He can swipe a bag, though his speed is not elite, and his defense is serviceable. Overall, he projects as a fairly reliable outfielder and hitter.

94 OVR Spotlight Aaron Ashby

This card boasts excellent Per Nines, with control being the only slight shortcoming - a gap that a Parallel Mod can help close. His repertoire includes a Sinker, 12-6 Curve, Slider, Circle Change and 4-Seam fastball. On higher difficulties, he could perform quite well.

92 OVR Topps Now Rodolfo Durán

Behind the plate, his defense qualifies as decent, while his Pop Time is outstanding. He can also lay down a bunt when needed. All in all, a solid card.

92 OVR Topps Now Henry Bolte

Against right-handed pitching his contact splits are 88/76; against lefties they improve to 92/87. His defense is good, his speed reaches 85, and his stealing ability sits at 99, which allows him to function as an excellent center fielder.

92 OVR Topps Now Yohendrick Pinango

A left fielder whose power numbers come in at 102/86 and 103/62. His arm strength is average, his speed unremarkable, and he isn't much of a threat on the bases. On lower difficulty settings he might hold his own.

How to Make Progress?

Moments (4 Points Each)

1. Tally 3 Total Bases.
2. Hit 1 Home Run.
3. Record 1 Hit and 1 RBI.
4. Record 1 Extra-Base Hit.
5. Collect 3 Hits.
6. Pitch 1 inning, strike out 2 batters, and allow no runs.
7. Accumulate 5 Total Bases.

There is also an Extreme Moment worth 30 points that asks you to score 8 runs on Hall of Fame difficulty. This challenge is incredibly tough, and skipping it is a perfectly reasonable choice.

Missions

• 15 points: Earn 5,000 Parallel XP.
• 15 points: Tally 1,000 Parallel XP using Spotlight series players.
• 10 points: Hit 10 Home Runs with players whose primary position is infield.
• 10 points: Strike out 12 batters using relief or closing pitchers as their primary role.

Collection

• 15 points: Collect 92 OVR Topps Now cards of Rodolfo Durán, Henry Bolte and Yohendrick Pinango.
• 35 points: Collect 94 OVR Spotlight cards of Daylen Lile and Aaron Ashby.

That wraps up everything included in May Spotlight Drop 3 Program, and it is fair to say the volume of new content is on the lighter side. If your goal is to grind for resources, heading into Ranked play comes highly recommended.

Although the recent reception for MLB The Show 26 has been somewhat mixed, if you intend to keep playing, you'll need to actively participate in every new program released to bolster your team roster!

Among the popular programs launched this week are Mural Program and Rivalry Weekend Recap. While the former is part of a larger, more extensive series, the latter, though smaller in scale, offers several excellent free player cards!

In this guide, we'll walk you through the complete Rivalry Weekend Recap Program, ensuring you don't miss out on a single player card reward!

Rivalry Weekend Recap Program duration

This program went live this Wednesday, May 20th. The exact end date has not yet been announced; however, judging by its scope, it is expected to run for approximately 1 to 2 weeks.

Therefore, to play it safe, we recommend earning enough Program XP to unlock all rewards within the span of a single week if possible.

What rewards can you earn?

Rivalry Weekend Recap Program reward path consists of five tiers, each awarding a specific player card. This means you don't have to worry about the randomness of card packs resulting in duplicate players or cards of low value!

Unlocking all rewards requires earning a total of 50 XP, with a new card awarded for every 10 XP accumulated:

• 10 XP: Edgar Quero
• 20 XP: Tyrone Taylor
• 30 XP: Munetaka Murakami
• 40 XP: Cam Schlittler
• 50 XP: Shohei Ohtani

The ultimate reward, Topps Now Shohei Ohtani card, boasts an impressive OVR 94. Furthermore, as a player for Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani is an incredibly popular figure in the sport.

In-game, this card features excellent stats across the board, covering Power, Contact, Pitching, Baserunning, and Versatility, making it an ideal addition to your roster.

How to earn rewards?

Rivalry Weekend Recap Program offers two primary methods for earning XP: Missions and Moments. Completing all available missions yields 41 XP, while completing all moments yields 34 XP.

Since the total available XP adds up to 75, you are free to mix and match Missions and Moments based on your personal preferences or areas of expertise, provided, of course, that you earn at least 50 XP in total.

Below are the names of all missions, their specific requirements, and the corresponding XP rewards:

Below are all the moments. With the exception of the final one, which offers 10 Program XP, all others award 3 XP:

• Schlittler Silences the Mets
• Murakami Goes Deep Twice
• Harper Takes on Skenes
• Taylor Stuns the Yankees
• Quero Walks It Off
• Arraez Owns the Bay
• Ohtani Fuels the Freeway Series
• Sheets Crushes Seattle
• OPTIONAL EXTREME: Guardians Go Yard

To complete this final moment, which is more difficult but offers a higher XP reward, you must hit multiple home runs using Cleveland Guardians players.

To achieve this, it is highly recommended that you first buy MLB 26 stubs on IGGM to acquire powerful hitters. After all, the rewards within Rivalry Weekend Recap Program do not include Stubs or Cleveland Guardians players.

Generally speaking, players who belong to All-Time Best rosters, or pitchers capable of throwing fastballs while ahead in the count, make for excellent choices.

Building upon this foundation, you must also master the precise positioning and timing of your PCI to successfully complete this specific Moment with the fewest possible attempts.

The best strategy for unlocking rewards

While Guardians Go Yard Moment is notoriously difficult to complete, the other eight Moments are relatively straightforward; therefore, you should prioritize completing all of them first to earn 24 XP.

This approach leaves you needing to earn just 26 additional XP to reach your goal. To achieve this, as you progress through the various missions, you may opt to skip the optional and often extremely difficult Home Run challenges.

However, if you do possess the skill to complete Home Run Challenges, it is highly advisable to stack your lineup with as many eligible players as the restrictions allow, aiming to complete multiple Home Run Missions within a single game whenever possible.

Furthermore, when earning PXP using Topps Now Series players, the most efficient strategy is to accumulate 4,000 PXP in a single session, as this allows you to instantly complete two separate missions simultaneously.

It is anticipated that over the coming months, MLB The Show 26 will continue its current cadence of releasing one or two minor programs each week, while simultaneously maintaining ongoing updates for its various monthly series.

Although this approach has drawn some criticism from the player base, it appears the developers currently have no plans to alter their strategy. Consequently, the best course of action for you is simply to buckle down and complete all the new programs as they become available!