Injuries and other replacements will free up spots for some of these players, but they should have been on the list in the first place
•
3 min read
Rosters for the 2026 All-Star Game have been revealed, led by the Dodgers, Braves and Phillies with five All-Stars apiece. What comes next? Complaining about snubs, of course! By and large, the league generally finds a way to get the rosters pretty close to correct, but there’s always griping. We also need to keep in mind that some of these guys will end up making the roster, anyway, due to injuries and the replacement of starting pitchers who work next Sunday, rendering them ineligible to pitch in the Midsummer Classic.
Still, bring on the snubs! Here are some of the biggest.
American League
Jonathan Aranda, Rays/Willson Contreras, Red Sox
Given that Yandy Díaz, Nick Kurtz and Ben Rice all deserved invites, seeing an AL first baseman clipped isn’t too much of a surprise. The problem was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. getting voted in. There is still a chance Contreras or Aranda will correctly get added as an injury replacement. Contreras is hitting .285 with a 157 OPS+, 19 home runs and 56 RBI. Aranda is hitting .287 with a 135 OPS+, 13 homers and 58 RBI.
Sonny Gray, Red Sox
Anti-Boston bias, eh? Gray is 10-1 for a team that is 39-48. He has a 2.61 ERA, too, so that’s not a fluky W-L record.
After absolutely dealing on Saturday, Gilbert has a 3.19 ERA (124 ERA+), 0.95 WHIP and 114 strikeouts in 107 ⅓ innings, putting him second in innings, sixth in strikeouts and second in WHIP in the league.
Jung leads the AL in doubles with 22 while hitting .297 with a 138 OPS+. At third base in the AL, Junior Caminero and Miguel Vargas are correctly in front of him, so this is a tough luck snub if the AL was going to end up with two third basemen.
The right-hander is 9-3 with a 3.08 ERA and 3.2 WAR for the first-place White Sox.
Again, for all these pitchers, keep in mind there’s a decent chance they’ll get added. In the case of Martinez, he was arguably the most cost-efficient addition in free agency this past offseason. He’s 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 100 innings.
Colson Montgomery, White Sox
Yes, the .221 batting average looks bad. Everything else is good, notably the 22 home runs and 51 RBI.
National League
His rotation mate, Paul Skenes, was always going to get the invite and rightfully so. Ashcraft has been better this season, though. In 18 starts, he’s 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 108 ⅓ innings.
The Reds have been bad for a while and Elly missed time due to injury, meaning this one isn’t as glaring. Still, he’s one of the most electrifying players in baseball and has been great in his 69 games, hitting .276/.347/.484 with 14 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs and 13 steals. I get Sal Stewart going there from the Reds as a fourth NL first baseman, but I’d rather see Elly.
Michael Harris II, Braves
Part of the Braves’ offensive renaissance, Harris has seen a power surge this season. His previous career high for home runs in a season was 20 and he’s already hit 16 this time around. Team that with a .301 average and 131 OPS+, not to mention his quality defense in center, and Harris is a good candidate. NL outfield is pretty crowded, though, so it was a tough squeezing out.
After being traded twice in a short span, Harrison is in the midst of a breakout season. He’s 8-1 with a 2.82 ERA (150 ERA+) and 99 strikeouts in 79 ⅔ innings for a first-place team.
Brice Turang, Brewers
The best second baseman in the NL isn’t on the team. Ozzie Albies is starting and Luis Arraez is the reserve. Gimme Turang. With 3.5 WAR, 20 doubles, 12 home runs and 13 steals in addition to his excellent defense, he’s the best second baseman in baseball at the moment.
Did the NL just take the wrong two guys at second base? Wetherholt leads NL second basemen in FanGraphs’ version of WAR as a rookie. He’s flashed great defense and shown himself to be a more-than-capable hitter.
He got a late start due to recovering from surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, but in 13 starts, Wheeler is 8-1 with a 2.36 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 84 strikeouts in 80 innings. The game is in Philadelphia, too. Surely, Wheeler will be one of the pitchers added to the roster.
The Dodgers’ stellar rotation wasn’t expected to include Wrobleski, but injuries opened the door and he has stormed through. In 15 appearances (14 starts), he’s 10-2 with a 2.80 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. He’s a great example of how the Dodgers are not simply “just pay the most money for free agents.” They are great at organizational development, too. He was an 11th-round draft pick!
