Multiplayer Program 4 has officially arrived in MLB The Show 26, and the grind is well worth the effort this time around. We are looking at a cumulative 150,000 Program XP spread across 25 reward tiers. The absolute prize waiting at the finish line is a disgusting 96 OVR Standout Nolan Ryan, alongside a massive 50-pack Show Bundle that will absolutely fuel your Diamond Dynasty squad or marketplace flips.

If you look at that 150K total and feel a bit overwhelmed, don't worry. You don't have to bash your head against the wall in frustrating Ranked Seasons games for weeks. If you tackle the program with a clear plan, knock out specific game-mode bonuses first, and stack your stats efficiently, you can fly through these tiers in a fraction of the time. Here is exactly how to optimize your online playtime and get that Nolan Ryan into your rotation fast.

Best Missions to Target First

Not all XP rewards in this program are created equal. Some offer massive chunks of progress for very little time investment, while others just pile up naturally as you play. These are the specific milestones you want to prioritize the second you boot up the game:

• The Battle Royale Bonus Trio: This is your primary engine for early progress. You need to focus on tallying 10 hits for 5,000 XP, stealing 3 bases for another 5,000 XP, and putting together a 5-win run in a single entry for a huge 10,000 XP bonus. Knocking all three out puts a quick 20,000 XP in your pocket right out of the gate.

• Strikeout Milestones: For all the pitching fans out there, racking up Ks yields the most heavily weighted passive XP in the entire program. You will secure up to 15,000 XP by hitting Tier IV, and if you manage to push all the way to Tier V, you unlock a massive 30,000 XP wheel bonus that pushes your progress bar significantly.

• Home Run & Total Base Tiers: On the offensive side, aggressively hunting hits online pays off beautifully. Tallying 50 and 100 Total Bases, paired with reaching 5, 15, and 25 Home Runs, offers nice chunks ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 XP. This builds up naturally if you adopt an aggressive, power-first approach at the plate.

• Repeatable 9-Inning Pitching: This is your ultimate fallback safety net. It dishes out a repeatable 5,000 XP loop just for playing defense. However, there is a massive catch you need to keep in mind: it only counts completely finished innings pitched. If your opponent hits a mid-inning rage-quit or you get a quick bullpen hook before recording an out, those partial innings are completely wasted. Make sure to finish your frames cleanly.

Fast Progress Strategy

To maximize your efficiency and bypass the usual multiplayer bottlenecks, you should avoid random queuing and follow this specific, stacked progression path:

1. Start in Battle Royale: Do not head straight into Ranked. Instead, pay your entry, draft your team, and focus entirely on the BR-exclusive missions. Focus your gameplay around getting those 10 hits, stealing 3 quick bases early in games, and stringing together a 5-win run. Because BR matches are only 3 innings long, the games fly by, and locking in that 20,000 XP head start sets a perfect foundation for the rest of your grind.

2. Pivot to the New Event Mode: Once you have milked the BR bonuses dry, take your main squad and jump directly into the concurrent live Event mode. Events are the absolute sweet spot for grinding hitting stats. They feature short 3-inning structures and friendly roster parameters that usually favor the hitter. It is significantly faster and less stressful to farm your 25 Home Runs and 100 Total Bases here than sweating through long, high-stakes 9-inning Ranked Seasons games.

3. Queue up for Co-Op with Friends: If you find yourself hitting a wall or struggling with the pressure of Solo online play, grab some buddies and head into 2v2 or 3v3 Co-Op. This is an absolute cheat code for progression because all hitting stats, strikeouts, and Parallel XP earned by your user-controlled players count directly toward your Multiplayer 4 program tracking. It makes the grind a social, relaxed experience while still moving your reward tracker forward.

4. Plug in Unlocked Program Players Immediately: As you advance through the initial reward tiers, you will quickly unlock programmatic player rewards. Specifically, you will hit 94 OVR Billy Williams at the 10,000 XP mark and 94 OVR Jonathan Broxton at 35,000 XP. The absolute second you unlock these cards, open your squad screen and slot them right into your Event or Ranked rosters. Leaving them on your bench is a huge mistake, as using them compounds your Parallel XP accumulation and speeds up your path to the finish line.

Pro-Tip: Always keep an eye on your program progress menu between games. The faster you swap in the newly unlocked rewards, the more passive Parallel XP you generate, minimizing the overall number of games required to unlock that 96 OVR Nolan Ryan.