If you’ve jumped into Franchise Mode in MLB The Show 26 looking to recreate the real-world strategy of teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, you’ve probably noticed a glaring issue: a true, automated 6-man starting rotation option is officially missing from the native interface. The game engine is fundamentally built to enforce a traditional 5-man staff.

However, whether you are trying to mirror modern MLB trends or simply want to preserve the stamina of a two-way superstar like Shohei Ohtani, running a 6-man setup is highly effective. To get around the game’s limitations, you just have to rely on a bit of manual roster optimization and menu manipulation. Here is exactly how the mechanics work and how you can successfully implement it.

The 6-Man Rotation Workaround

Because the standard Franchise roster screen only gives you five dedicated starting pitcher (SP) slots, your sixth starter needs a temporary home. Here is how to set it up:

• The Long Relief Designation: Take your sixth starting pitcher and place them into the Long Relief (LR) spot in your bullpen. When choosing this player, make sure they have a high Stamina rating so they can actually handle a starter's workload.

• If You Simulate Your Games (The Manual Swap): This is where the game's engine can trip you up. If you just hit simulate, the CPU will completely skip your long reliever and loop straight back to your number-one ace. To fix this, you have to open the Daily Lineups/Pre-Game screen right before you simulate a game. Manually swap your sixth starter from the bullpen into the active SP slot, and then hit simulate.

• If You Play Your Games Manually: This is much easier. On game day, when you reach the pitcher selection menu before taking the field, just manually select your long reliever to start the game.

How It Impacts Your Team's Mechanics

While this workaround gets the job done, stretching your rotation to six men alters how the game calculates fatigue and stats.

1. Stamina and Energy Recovery

By adding a sixth man to the mix, you stretch the entire rotation cycle. This gives your top five starters an extra day of rest between appearances.

• The Good: Your primary pitchers will almost always operate with maximum energy bars. This keeps their attributes high, minimizes performance dips, and drastically reduces the risk of fatigue-related injuries over a grueling 162-game season.

• The Bad: Extra rest means fewer opportunities. Your elite aces will drop from the typical 32 starts down to roughly 26 or 27 starts over the course of the year. This means lower cumulative season statistics (like fewer total strikeouts or wins) and lessens the overall impact your best pitchers have on your team's record.

2. Bullpen Roster Constraints

MLB roster rules in The Show 26 strictly cap your active roster at 13 total pitchers.

• The Penalty: By stashing a legitimate starting pitcher in your bullpen to act as that sixth starter, you are shrinking your actual bullpen. You will only have 7 dedicated relief options available instead of the usual 8.

• The Risk: If one of your primary starters gets rocked early and exits in the second or third inning, you have one less arm to absorb those innings. Your remaining relievers will burn through energy incredibly fast, which can trigger a cascading fatigue penalty across your entire bullpen for the next few games.

3. Simulation and CPU Logic Clashes

The development team has made strides in updating Franchise Mode AI to reflect modern baseball trends, but the underlying engine is still stubborn about the 5-man rule.

• The Warning: If you leave "CPU Roster Management" turned on in your settings, the AI will constantly fight you. It will see your sixth starter in the bullpen, assume it's a mistake, and automatically reset your rotation back to a 5-man staff based on standard health metrics.

For this strategy to actually work without constant frustration, you must go into your Franchise options and set both Roster Management and Lineups to Manual. This keeps the control entirely in your hands and prevents the CPU from undoing your hard work.