MLB rules dictate<\/a> that if a fan-elected starter is unavailable, they are to be replaced by the player who received the most votes via the player ballot. The league will then select the roster replacement. That\u2019s why it\u2019s Kurtz as the new AL starter, not Ben Rice.<\/p>\nFinally, pitchers replace pitchers, but position player replacements do not have to be from the same position; for example, an outfielder can replace a shortstop.<\/p>\n
Here are The Athletic\u2019s 10 biggest All-Star snubs \u2014 five from each league \u2014 plus each player\u2019s odds of making it to Philadelphia for the Midsummer Classic on July 14.<\/p>\n
Stats are updated through the start of play on Sunday.<\/p>\n
National LeagueBrice Turang, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers<\/p>\n
.269\/.364\/.460, 12 home runs, 51 RBIs, 127 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a particularly strong year for second basemen in the NL, and with Ozzie Albies winning the fan vote and Luis Arraez taking the player ballot, there were bound to be multiple snubs. Turang, who leads all second basemen in wRC+ and is third in fWAR, is at the top of the list.<\/p>\n
The 2024 NL Platinum Glove Award winner has found a second gear, flashing more power to go along with his strong defense.<\/p>\n
Odds to join All-Star roster: Medium (With the NL side being fully healthy, replacement spots will be hard to come by. If there is a silver lining for Turang, it\u2019s that the NL is short on middle infield reserves, with Bryce Harper, Sal Stewart and Matt Olson all competing for first base and DH. Stewart can play second or third, but first is his primary spot.)<\/p>\n
JJ Wetherholt, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals<\/p>\n
.266\/.363\/.415, 13 home runs, 36 RBIs, 120 wRC+, 3.7 fWAR<\/p>\n
The front-runner for the NL Rookie of the Year Award, Wetherholt also leads all rookies in fWAR. The 2024 first-round pick has helped pace a Cardinals team that is firmly in the mix for a wild-card spot. His bat has been strong, but Wetherholt\u2019s defense has been the biggest talking point.<\/p>\n
His 18 Outs Above Average lead all MLB players, with his 14 Defensive Runs Saved ranking sixth in the league, a new record among rookie second basemen. If the All-Star Game is about showcasing the future of the sport, then no omission looms larger than Wetherholt.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\n JJ Wetherholt\u2019s bat has been great, but it\u2019s his defense that has been truly exceptional. (Joe Puetz \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Odds to join All-Star roster: Medium (In an ideal world, one of Wetherholt, Turang or Arraez would have won the fan vote, and the second-place finisher would be the reserve, leaving us with just one true snub. Unfortunately, Wetherholt and Turang are both on the outside looking in at a healthy senior circuit.)<\/p>\n
Luke Weaver, RP, New York Mets<\/p>\n
2-1, 2.00 ERA (36 IP), 39 Ks, 1.1 fWAR<\/p>\n
In his first season in Queens, Weaver has been one of the league\u2019s best relievers. Between May and June, over a stretch of 22 games and 24 innings, Weaver did not allow a single run, limiting opponents to just 10 hits, with 31 strikeouts against five walks.<\/p>\n
His exclusion from the roster is largely a byproduct of how relievers are positioned. Only three in total are permitted on the initial roster, and those spots often go to closers, leaving the Luke Weavers of the world on the sidelines.<\/p>\n
Odds to join All-Star roster: Slim (If MLB were to add another reliever to the NL roster, it would likely be a closer, with Riley O\u2019Brien, who has 22 saves, being the most likely option.)<\/p>\n
Braxton Ashcraft, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates<\/p>\n
9-3, 3.24 ERA (108 1\/3 IP), 122 Ks, 2.9 fWAR<\/p>\n
To be fair, a Pirates starter is on the All-Star team, but it\u2019s the wrong one. Yes, Paul Skenes is the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, but he\u2019s been a shell of himself in 2026, particularly over his last nine games (5.36 ERA). Ashcraft, in his sophomore year, has been far more productive. Tarik Skubal, Skenes\u2019 counterpart in the AL, is not on the team, so the Pittsburgh ace\u2019s exclusion wouldn\u2019t be that\u00a0far-fetched if it came to that.<\/p>\n
That said, MLB listed Skenes as a player-selected pick, meaning, regardless of his stats, his fellow players still think highly of him.<\/p>\n
Odds to join All-Star roster: Slim (With Misiorowski unlikely to pitch, one spot is open, though Zack Wheeler of the hometown Phils might end up being the biggest beneficiary.)<\/p>\n
Michael Harris II, OF, Atlanta Braves<\/p>\n
.301\/.334\/.507, 16 home runs, 48 RBIs, 129 wRC+, 2.4 fWAR\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yes, the Braves are sending five players to the game, but there\u2019s room for one more: Harris. The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year has been electric for the NL East-leading Braves. He\u2019s also playing in a league that\u2019s loaded with outfield talent, from James Wood to Pete Crow-Armstrong.<\/p>\n
Among all NL outfielders, Harris has the sixth-most fWAR; the five players ahead of him have been named All-Stars.<\/p>\n
Odds to join All-Star roster: Slim (The outfield is loaded and healthy, meaning Harris will likely have to wait another year before making his first All-Star team.)<\/p>\n
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Wheeler, Xavier Edwards, Liam Hicks, Elly De La Cruz, Kyle Harrison, Justin Wrobleski, Foster Griffin<\/p>\n
American LeagueWillson Contreras, 1B, Boston Red Sox<\/p>\n
.285\/.378\/.536, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs, 150 wRC+, 2.9 fWAR\u00a0<\/p>\n
Typically, players decline in their mid- to late-30s. Contreras, on the other hand, is in the midst of his best season yet, at 34 years old. His 150 wRC+ ranks 10th in the majors, tied with Crow-Armstrong and ahead of Freddie Freeman, Byron Buxton, Harper and Mike Trout, all 2026 All-Stars. Meanwhile, his 2.8 fWAR is third among all first basemen and second in the AL to Kurtz.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\n Willson Contreras has been one of the most productive hitters in the AL this season. (Jaiden Tripi \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Odds to join All-Star roster:\u00a0Slim (MLB\u2019s rules that a replacement need not be the same position make it a murky path for Contreras. It doesn\u2019t help that the AL is lacking in quality outfielders and has three oft-injured starters, including one who likely won\u2019t play in Judge.)<\/p>\n
Sonny Gray, SP, Boston Red Sox<\/p>\n
10-1, 2.61 ERA (89 1\/3 IP), 82 Ks, 1.6 fWAR\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gray, who recently crossed 2,000 career strikeouts, is second in the AL in ERA, behind Cy Young Award front-runner Cam Schlittler. If wins are your thing, Gray leads the AL in those.<\/p>\n
Although he\u2019s unlikely to finish in the top three in Cy Young Award ballots, it\u2019s still a strong season for the veteran righty, one worthy of at least an All-Star appearance.<\/p>\n
Odds to join All-Star roster: Medium (Though we\u2019ve yet to learn of any pitcher dropouts for the AL, there\u2019s always at least one who ends up sitting out the festivities due to scheduling. Consider Gray a strong bet to serve as a replacement, provided he\u2019s able to do so.)<\/p>\n
Colson Montgomery, SS, Chicago White Sox<\/p>\n
.221\/.308\/.484, 22 home runs, 51 RBIs, 117 wRC+, 2.5 fWAR<\/p>\n
Ignore that slash line for one second and consider this: Montgomery is tied for eighth in the league in home runs, and the eight players ahead of him are heading to Philadelphia. His 22 homers lead all primary shortstops, with his slugging percentage ranking third overall and first in the AL.<\/p>\n
The youth-led, resurgent White Sox have been one of MLB\u2019s best stories in the first half. That it only led to one All-Star nod is disappointing.<\/p>\n
Odds to join All-Star roster: Slim (As is the case with Contreras, the AL is likely to add more outfielders than infielders, at least initially, as far as replacements go. The Home Run Derby might be a better bet for Montgomery.)<\/p>\n
Davis Martin, SP, Chicago White Sox<\/p>\n
9-3, 3.08 ERA (96 1\/3 IP), 90 Ks, 2.7 fWAR\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are two White Sox players on this list, and for good reason. Martin has been one of the best starters in baseball this season, serving as the staff ace for the first-place Sox. The former 14th-round pick\u2019s season has been marred by a few blowups, but he\u2019s also tossed a few gems, including seven-inning starts against the Royals, Athletics and Angels.<\/p>\n
Martin or Gray certainly makes more sense than Michael Wacha, who was chosen by MLB.<\/p>\n
Odds to join All-Star roster: Medium (Like Gray, Martin is on the outside looking in, hoping that availability conflicts lead to an All-Star nomination for him.)<\/p>\n
Nick Martinez, SP, Tampa Bay Rays<\/p>\n
7-2, 2.61 ERA (100 IP), 61 Ks, 1.8 fWAR\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite evidence pointing toward a significant regression, Martinez has remained steady for the Rays. Numbers aside, the 35-year-old has never made an All-Star team. This season is his best shot.<\/p>\n
As The Athletic\u2019s Ken Rosenthal wrote in June<\/a>, \u201cEverywhere he goes, players consider him a model teammate. His appearance on the AL All-Star team would be celebrated around the league, no matter what his strikeout rate is.\u201d<\/p>\nOdds to join All-Star roster: Medium (There\u2019s always a need for pitching.)<\/p>\n
Honorable mentions: Ceddanne Rafaela, Jonathan Aranda, Josh Jung, Brayan Rocchio, Reid Detmers, Logan Gilbert, Tristan Peters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If there\u2019s one thing more entertaining than the All-Star Game, it\u2019s the discourse surrounding it. Specifically, who didn\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":782758,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[4996,64,63,5156,5256,5159,591,1830,5160,85,2366,1190],"class_list":["post-782757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-tampa-bay-rays"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}