If you've been grinding Diamond Dynasty lately, you've probably noticed how quickly the May Spotlight stuff in MLB The Show 26 starts to pile up. Some of it is easy to grab, some of it takes time, and a few pieces are tucked behind packs or collections that can eat through your MLB 26 Stubs before you even realise it. That's why it helps to map the whole thing out first, especially if your goal is Fernando Tatis Jr. and that Jacob Misiorowski Lightning card sitting at the top of the month's rewards.
Working Through the Final May Spotlight Program
The last May Spotlight Program is built around Cody Bellinger, and it's the one you need to finish if you want the full Lightning reward path. You'll move through a mix of Moments and gameplay missions, with cards like Miguel Vargas, Casey Schmitt, Jonathan Aranda, Braxton Ashcraft, and James Wood showing up along the way. James Wood is probably the card that gets people talking the most, even if a few fans wanted a little more pop from his ratings.
Getting Program Stars Without Burning Out
The quickest progress usually comes from doing the Moments first. There are seven standard ones, and they give you a decent head start without much fuss. There's also an Extreme Moment if you're feeling bold, where you have to score 13 runs in one inning on Veteran. It sounds wild, and honestly, it is. Most players will be better off mixing in missions while they play, like piling up PXP with Spotlight or Topps Now cards, getting total bases with infielders, knocking hits with outfielders, and just letting the stats build naturally over a few games.
How Jacob Misiorowski Fits In
Once Cody Bellinger is yours, the May Lightning collection opens up. To claim Jacob Misiorowski, you need to lock in the five main program rewards: Yandy Díaz, Mickey Moniak, Colt Emerson, Nick Kurtz, and Cody Bellinger. Misiorowski has become one of those cards that feels a little unfair in the best way. The strikeouts are there, the control is solid, and the double Outlier perk makes hitters react fast. You can understand why so many players see him as one of the best arms from this content drop.
The Fernando Tatis Jr. Chase
Fernando Tatis Jr. is a different kind of grind. He is not earned through the program path. Instead, you need 15 Spotlight cards from the month of May, which puts the spotlight on the collection system itself. That's where things get expensive, because a lot of the needed cards come from premium packs or the marketplace. The newest Spotlight Drop Pack alone includes names like Byron Buxton, Pete Alonso, Cade Smith, Connor Griffin, Jarren Duran, Davis Martin, Paul Goldschmidt, Keibert Ruiz, JoJo Romero, and JJ Bleday. If you want Tatis fast, you'll either need a healthy stub balance or a lot of patience.
Final Thoughts
For players who want the cleanest route, the answer is simple: finish the Spotlight Program, lock in the Lightning pieces, and then decide how far you want to push the Tatis collection. If you play enough, you can chip away at it through gameplay and market flips. If not, plenty of players choose to buy MLB 26 Stubs to speed things up and skip the long wait. Either way, Tatis is one of the most complete cards in the game right now, and if you're building a serious Diamond Dynasty squad, he's hard to ignore.
