Illinois State Professional Athletes

Illinois State doesn't run a baseball factory, but as the 2026 MLB regular season hits its final week, three Redbird alumni are doing something remarkable — contributing in meaningful ways for three of the sport's most recognizable playoff contenders. Brent Headrick (Yankees), Brock Stewart (Dodgers), and John Rave (Royals) are all in the mix, each with a different story to tell.

Headrick: The Yankees' Best Reliever With One Lingering Question

No Illinois State alum has drawn more attention this week than Brent Headrick. The Yankees lefty has quietly become one of their most dominant relievers in 2026 — but questions are now swirling about his velocity as October approaches. Yankees beat writer Brendan Kuty of The Athletic flagged the concern publicly, and a rough outing against Arizona on September 20 didn't help the optics: Headrick allowed two earned runs across just 0.2 innings in an 8-4 Yankees loss, a nightmare fifth inning that sank New York's day.

He bounced back Friday against Baltimore — 1.0 inning, two strikeouts, one earned run — but with a 2.18 ERA and the postseason looming, the velocity story is the one Yankees fans are watching. A late-season blip from a key bullpen arm is the last thing a contender wants to see. Headrick still has time to answer the question. Whether he does will matter a great deal.

Stewart: The Comeback Story Ready for the Spotlight

Brock Stewart's 2026 arc is the kind scouts and coaches talk about for years. Last October, Stewart was on the Dodgers' roster in spirit only — recovering from surgery, unable to pitch while his teammates made a run. This year, he's one of the key cogs in what has become an increasingly deep Los Angeles bullpen.

Stewart has been a model of consistency this week, logging 1.0 inning in each of his appearances — Wednesday against San Diego and Saturday against San Francisco (where he allowed one run in a 4-3 Dodgers win). His ERA sits at 2.70, and the Dodgers are leaning on him in genuine high-leverage situations. For a pitcher who had to watch last postseason from the sideline, getting a real crack at October with the defending champions is personal.

Rave: Making a Case No One Expected Him To

John Rave's situation in Kansas City is a quieter story, but a compelling one. The Royals outfielder has hit safely in multiple games this week — 1-for-4 on Saturday, 1-for-3 with two runs and a walk on Friday, 2-for-4 on Thursday — batting .232 on the season. He's doing enough in limited at-bats that Sports Illustrated raised the question of whether Rave has done enough to secure his roster spot heading into 2027.

Kansas City hasn't been in contention deep into September often in recent years, and Rave is getting his reps in a meaningful environment. The Royals' decision on him this offseason will be one of the minor roster stories worth watching.

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Three Normal, Illinois kids. Three playoff-caliber rosters. The Redbirds aren't a baseball school — but right now, they've got a case to make.

Illinois State has three alumni worth tracking as MLB's regular season enters its final stretch — and each is contributing in a meaningful way to a playoff race or roster push.

Headrick Owns the Yankees' Bullpen Bridge

Brent Headrick has quietly had one of the more impressive breakout campaigns in New York's bullpen this season, and September is where it's becoming undeniable. The former Redbird carries a 1.90 ERA heading into the final weeks, pitching in high-leverage situations as the Yankees cling to the AL East chase. Against the Mets on Sept. 13, he logged a clean inning with a strikeout. Three days later against Minnesota, he worked 1.1 innings with two more punchouts — the kind of reliable bridge work a contender needs in October-tune-up mode.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Headrick wasn't even on the radar when the Yankees mapped out their bullpen depth in January — yet he's now regularly appearing alongside closers David Bednar and Fernando Cruz in the late innings. Yahoo Sports noted the emerging formula: an inning each from Headrick, Paul Blackburn, and Bednar, a pattern the Yankees leaned on in a 2-0 win during the week. For an ISU alum to be a named piece of a playoff team's bullpen blueprint is no small thing.

Rave Goes Deep for Kansas City

John Rave delivered the highlight of the week for ISU fans on Thursday, Sept. 17, when he crushed a two-run homer in the Royals' 5-2 win over Houston. That blast — part of a multi-hit week for Rave — was the centerpiece of a performance Sportsnet highlighted as Daniel Lynch and the offense combined to knock off the Astros cleanly. Rave also went 1-for-1 with a run scored in the doubleheader's first game that same day, added hits Friday and Saturday against Pittsburgh, and drew multiple walks across the week. He's now hitting .228 on the season — modest, but his presence in Kansas City's outfield has been consistent enough to keep him on the active roster through a competitive September.

Stewart Provides Depth in LA

In Los Angeles, Brock Stewart has been a quiet contributor to a Dodgers team with postseason aspirations of their own. He tossed a scoreless inning against Cincinnati on Sept. 15 and had a brief hiccup against Miami on Sept. 13 — allowing one earned run — but his ERA sits at 2.66, a solid mark for a depth reliever on a star-laden roster. Stewart won't make Dodgers highlight reels, but holding down the backend of a championship-caliber bullpen is its own kind of credential.

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Three ISU alumni, three playoff-contending or competitive rosters, three distinct roles — Headrick as a trusted setup piece, Rave as an everyday outfielder delivering timely power, and Stewart as proven bullpen depth. Normal, Illinois is well represented as the 2026 season heads toward October.

Headrick Is Baseball's Best Fire Extinguisher

Illinois State's most impactful MLB story this week isn't about strikeouts or saves — it's about a stat that doesn't make the highlight reel but absolutely makes managers sleep better at night.

Yankees left-hander Brent Headrick leads all of Major League Baseball in inherited runners stranded in 2026. That means when New York's skipper calls on Headrick mid-inning with men already on base — the highest-pressure scenario a reliever faces — nobody does it better. No one in the sport.

Headrick's ERA tells the same story. After a two-strikeout, one-inning outing against Colorado on Tuesday and a follow-up appearance Thursday, he carried a 1.86 ERA into Friday's subway series showdown against the Mets. He allowed one earned run in two-thirds of an inning that night, nudging his ERA to 1.96 — still elite, and still the mark of a pitcher who has been one of the Yankees' most reliable late-game weapons as the September stretch run intensifies.

For an Illinois State alum who wasn't the first name anyone penciled in as an MLB statistical leader, Headrick has quietly become indispensable in the Bronx.

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Rave Swinging, Stewart Grinding

Headrick isn't the only Redbird worth watching this week.

John Rave has given the Kansas City Royals consistent, if streaky, production in right field. The Normal, IL product had at least one hit in four of his six appearances between September 6 and 12, including a home run Tuesday against Arizona that drove in two runs. He drew two walks in Friday's game against Boston and is batting .222 on the season — a useful piece on a Royals roster still pushing for positioning late in the year.

Brock Stewart continues to be a steady hand out of the Los Angeles bullpen. The Dodgers righty logged a scoreless inning Friday against Miami, striking out one, and holds a 2.38 ERA on the season. His September 7 appearance against Washington was also scoreless across one inning. With LA in the thick of postseason positioning, Stewart is doing exactly what a championship-caliber roster needs from its depth arms.

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The Bigger Picture for ISU

Three Redbirds contributing meaningfully in late-September MLB baseball — one leading the entire league in a high-leverage relief metric — is a remarkable snapshot for a program out of Normal, Illinois. Headrick's rise has been the defining arc: a left-handed reliever who has turned inherited-runner situations into a specialty, stacking a season that now has the data to back up what Yankees fans have been watching all year.

With rosters locking down and playoff races tightening, all three are in positions where every appearance carries weight. Headrick, in particular, will be worth tracking all the way to October.