2026 MLB Home Run Derby: Field, Rules & How To Watch

3 Min Read

The 2026 Home Run Derby takes place on Monday at 5 p.m. PT from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. For the first time in its history, the event is being exclusively streamed on Netflix.

The field of competitors includes five American League players and three from the National League. Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners won the Home Run Derby last year, but isn’t participating this time.

Home Run Derby participants

The 2026 Home Run Derby field consists of Jac Caglianone (Kansas City Royals), Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays), Willson Contreras (Boston Red Sox), Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies), Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox), Ben Rice (New York Yankees), Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) and Jordan Walker (St. Louis Cardinals).

Of the group, Caglianone, Contreras, Murakami, Rice and Walker are first-time participants. Caminero was the runner-up in last year’s event, and Harper previously won the 2018 Home Run Derby as a member of the Washington Nationals when he defeated Schwarber in the final round.

An NL player has won the Home Run Derby in five of the last seven events.

Home Run Derby rules

The 2026 Home Run Derby is reverting to a swing-based format for the first time in 12 years. Participants will be granted 20 swings in the first round, and 15 in both the semifinals and the championship round. Any swing will count against a player’s allotment regardless of whether it produces a home run or not.

Ties in the first round will be broken by whichever player hits a longer home run. In the second and third rounds, a tie is going to be broken by each player having three extra swings.

Players with the top four home run totals from Round 1 will advance to the semifinals, where they will be seeded in a bracket with No. 1 facing No. 4 and No. 2 matching up with No. 3 to determine who reaches the championship.

Does Home Run Derby champion win money?

MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA) reached an agreement prior to the 2019 season that increased Home Run Derby pool money from $725,000 to $2.5 million.

The Home Run Derby winner receives $1 million, the runner-up gets $500,000 and the rest of the field earns $150,000 each. There’s also a $100,000 bonus for the longest home run of the night.

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Matt Borelli covers the Los Angeles Dodgers as a senior editor for Dodger Blue and holds similar responsibilities for Lakers Nation, a sister site with an emphasis on the Los Angeles Lakers. He also contributes to RamsNewswire.com and RaidersNewswire.com. An avid fantasy sports player, Matt is a former 2014 MLB Beat the Streak co-champion. His favorite Dodgers moment, among a list of many, is Clayton Kershaw's no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies in 2014. Follow him on X/Twitter: @mcborelli.
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