Final 2026 All-Star Game Roster Predictions

With the complete All-Star rosters being revealed tonight at 7:30 pm, it’s time for me to submit my final predictions for who will be making the trip to Philadelphia.

Unlike the previous iterations of my American League and National League roster predictions, the starting lineups were determined by the final fan voting update, which includes some, let’s say, questionable choices.

I then filled out the rest of the roster (11 reserve position players, 12 pitchers) with the most deserving players while making sure each team had at least one representative.

As was the case in June, I also included a lengthy list of notable omissions to show who might be possible replacements when any of the initial selections opt out.

Stats updated prior to games on July 3.

American League Starting Lineup

• 1. Bobby Witt Jr, SS, Kansas City Royals
• 2. Byron Buxton, CF, Minnesota Twins
• 3. Yordan Alvarez, DH, Houston Astros
• 4. Junior Caminero, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
• 5. Mike Trout, CF, Los Angeles Angels
• 6. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
• 7. Cody Bellinger, RF, New York Yankees
• 8. Shea Langeliers, C, Sacramento Athletics  
• 9. Ernie Clement, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays
• SP: Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees

Starting Lineup Changes

• Despite having the 12th-highest OPS among American League first basemen, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is on track to earn his sixth straight All-Star appearance. The latest voting update has him receiving 57% of the vote to Ben Rice’s 43%, proving that his career-worst offensive numbers haven’t affected his popularity among Blue Jays fans.
• Though Ernie Clement’s American League-leading vote total may be more a result of his postseason heroics from last year than his performance this year, he is hardly an unworthy selection to be the American League’s starting second baseman. His .299 batting average is the third-highest mark in the Junior Circuit, while his .762 OPS leads all qualified AL second basemen.
• Junior Caminero has caught fire since missing my original roster projection in June, slashing an incredible .331/.438/.664 with 13 home runs and 35 RBI over his last 40 games. This has allowed him to not only jump the injured José Ramírez but supplant breakout White Sox star Miguel Vargas for the starting role.

Other Notes

• Even after allowing four home runs in the worst start of his career against the Tigers on Tuesday, Cam Schlittler is still the obvious frontrunner to be selected as the American League’s starting pitcher. He still leads the league with a 2.08 ERA and 3.5 bWAR while trailing only Dylan Cease with 123 strikeouts.
• With Aaron Judge unavailable for the game as he recovers from his rib injury, his starting position will likely be filled by teammate Cody Bellinger, who is second among AL outfielders in WAR despite currently being mired in a 5-for-46 slump.
• I’m banking on Mike Trout returning from his hamstring injury in time to take part in his 12th All-Star Game, especially considering that the contest is taking place near his hometown in Philadelphia. If he isn’t able to suit up, look for either Ceddanne Rafaela or Julio Rodríguez to replace him in the starting lineup.
  

American League Reserves

• ​C: Dillion Dingler, Detroit Tigers
• 1B: Nick Kurtz, Sacramento Athletics
• 1B: Ben Rice, New York Yankees
• 2B: Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians
• SS: Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers  
• 3B: Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox
• OF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (Injured)
• OF: Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners  
• OF: Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
• OF: Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox
• OF: Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals
• DH: Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays

​New Additions

• Jac Caglianone takes over the final outfield reserve spot from Riley Greene after a torrid month of June in which he hit .309/.387/.649 with nine home runs.

Other Notes

• In a battle of AL Central rookie shortstops, Kevin McGonigle gets the slight edge over Colson Montgomery, as his 63-point advantage in batting average and 2.5-point advantage in bWAR make up for Montgomery’s 21 to seven advantage in home runs.
• Three of the top six American League hitters by OPS are first basemen, but because the voters appear to have selected Guerrero as the starter, there are only two of them on this roster. So, while Willson Contreras has had a tremendous first season in Boston, the spots clearly belong to Nick Kurtz, who leads MLB with 64 RBI and 75 walks, and Ben Rice, who ranks inside the AL’s top five in both home runs (23) and slugging percentage (.561)
• While Shea Langeliers is on track to easily win the fan voting, Dillon Dingler has been the best catcher in the American League this year, as he leads the position with an .861 OPS while grading out as one of the best defenders in baseball. He’ll have to settle for a reserve role.
  

Honorable Mentions/Notable Snubs

• 1B: Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox
• 1B: Pete Alonso, Baltimore Orioles
• 1B: Paul Goldschmidt, New York Yankees
• 1B: Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox
• 1B: Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays
• SS: Zack Neto, Los Angeles Angels
• SS: Colson Montgomery, Chicago White Sox
• 3B: Josh Jung, Texas Rangers
• 3B: Kazuma Okamoto, Toronto Blue Jays
• OF: Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers
• OF: Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox
• OF: Sam Antonacci, Chicago White Sox
• DH: Dominic Canzone, Seattle Mariners

American League Pitching Staff

• SP: Parker Messick, Cleveland Guardians
• SP: Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays
• SP: Dylan Cease, Toronto Blue Jays
• SP: Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers
• SP: Ranger Suárez, Boston Red Sox
• SP: Sonny Gray, Boston Red Sox
• SP: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
• RP: Rico Garcia, Baltimore Orioles
• RP: Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox
• RP: Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians
• RP: Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays

New Additions

• It appears that Drew Rasmussen took missing my initial roster personally. The right-hander allowed just three runs in June innings with an incredible 39:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and he might have the best chance to unseat Schlittler for the All-Star start if he can continue his dominance into July.
• While Payton Tolle falls off the roster after an up-and-down month of June, he is replaced by the Red Sox’s veteran duo of Ranger Suárez and Sonny Gray. Suarez has been among the game’s best starters after a rocky two-start debut with Boston, while Gray has posted a 2.08 ERA in 10 starts since being activated from the injured list at the beginning of May.
• The Orioles need a representative, and while Pete Alonso has a strong case, there are simply too many first basemen having far better seasons. Instead, we’ll go with breakout reliever Rico Garcia, who has anchored their tumultuous bullpen with an excellent 2.52 ERA and 0.841 WHIP.

Other Notes

• While a May elbow injury will likely cost him a chance at a third straight Cy Young Award, Tarik Skubal has been as good as ever when healthy. His 9.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the best mark of his career and his 0.91 WHIP trails only Rasmussen among AL starters with at least 60 innings.
• Jacob deGrom gets the nod as the Rangers’ lone representative, as even though some home run issues have inflated his ERA, his 115-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio is pretty close to vintage deGrom.
• The back-end bullpen trio remains unchanged from the June roster prediction, as Cade Smith (26 SV, 13.4 K/9), Louis Varland (17 SV, 0.98 ERA), and Aroldis Chapman (16 SV, 2.19 ERA) continue to be the three best closers in the American League.
• Though an oblique injury has limited him to just 52.2 innings, Bryce Miller deserves a shoutout for his 1.71 ERA and absurd 62-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• Despite a 2.66 ERA that ranks third in the American League, Nick Martinez gets snubbed for his first All-Star roster spot thanks to some unfavorable underlying metrics (18.0% strikeout rate, 4.57 expected ERA).
• This is as stacked a class of American League pitchers as you’ll ever see, with many deserving candidates on the outside looking in. Look for Martinez, Joe Ryan, Davis Martin, Michael Wacha and Logan Gilbert to be the first up for starting pitcher replacements, while Jacob Latz, Brent Headrick and Bryan Baker are worthy reliever replacements.
  

Honorable Mentions/Notable Omissions

• ​SP: Payton Tolle, Boston Red Sox
• SP: Connelly Early, Boston Red Sox
• SP: Nick Martinez, Tampa Bay Rays
• SP: Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays
• SP: Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers
• SP: Keider Montero, Detroit Tigers
• SP: Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians
• SP: Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals
• SP: José Soriano, Los Angeles Angels
• SP: Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
• SP: Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners
• SP: Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners
• SP: Emerson Hancock, Seattle Mariners
• SP: J.T Ginn, Sacramento Athletics
• RP: Garrett Whitlock, Boston Red Sox
• RP: Brent Headrick, New York Yankees
• RP: Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays
• RP: Tyler Rogers, Toronto Blue Jays
• RP: Grant Taylor, Chicago White Sox
• RP: Eric Sabrowski, Cleveland Guardians
• RP: Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers
• RP: Eduard Bazardo, Seattle Mariners

​National League Starting Lineup

• 1. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Dodgers
• 2. CJ Abrams, SS, Washington Nationals
• 3. Juan Soto, LF, New York Mets
• 4. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
• 5. Michael Harris, CF, Atlanta Braves
• 6. Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers
• 7. Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves
• 8. Drake Baldwin, C, Atlanta Braves
• 9. Brandon Marsh, RF, Philadelphia Phillies
• SP: Cristopher Sánchez, Philadelphia Phillies  

Starting Lineup Changes

• While Otto Lopez was my original selection at shortstop, it’s hard to argue with CJ Abrams’ candidacy. The Nationals star leads all NL shortstops with 18 home runs and an .866 while narrowly trailing Lopez in both stolen bases and total bases.
• In spite of all the chaos around him, Juan Soto has been a model of consistency for the last-place Mets. He currently leads the National League with a .956 OPS, while his .293 batting average is his highest mark since his Nationals days.
• Matt Olson’s 16-game homerless drought in which he has just one RBI opens the door for Freddie Freeman to leapfrog him for the starting first base job. The 36-year-old continues to defy age, posting an OPS+ over 140 for the fifth straight season and leading all NL first basemen with a .294 average.
• Everything has come together for Michael Harris II in his age-25 season. He has already surpassed last year’s bWAR total of 2.3 in 81 fewer games and has raised his batting average from .249 to .293.
• Though he ranks just sixth in WAR among NL second basemen, Ozzie Albies is well on pace for his fourth All-Star selection after raising his OPS over 90 points from 2025 to go along with his usual stellar defense.
• With Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber looking destined for bench spots, Brandon Marsh is on track to be the only starter voted in from the hosting Philadelphia Phillies. He leads all National League outfielders with a .315 batting average and is just one shy of his previous career-high of 16 home runs.
• The battle for National League All-Star starting pitcher is the most competitive race on the board, as Jacob Misiorowski (1.45 ERA, 13.5 K/9), Cristopher Sánchez (5.8 bWAR, 2.00 ERA), Chase Burns (4.3 bWAR, 2.40 ERA), and Chris Sale (2.10 ERA, 10.9 K/9) all have legitimate arguments to get the ball. The home crowd tiebreaker – and the fact that Misiorowski is unlikely to pitch in the game – ultimately gives Sánchez the narrowest of edges.

Other Notes

• If All-Star voting began today, it’s likely that Hunter Goodman and his 27 homers would earn the starting nod over the ice-cold Drake Baldwin, who has just three hits in his last 41 at-bats. Unfortunately for Goodman, his slugging rampage came too late to earn a spot in phase two, where Baldwin currently holds a massive lead over the injured Will Smith.

National League Reserves

• C: Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies
• 1B: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
• 2B: Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants
• 2B: Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
• SS: Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins
• 3B: Alex Bregman, Chicago Cubs
• OF: James Wood, Washington Nationals
• OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
• OF: Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals
• OF: Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
• DH: Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies

New Additions

• After Max Muncy, the most valuable NL third basemen who isn’t on the injured list is Alex Bregman and his .240/.340/.341 slash line. He simply hasn’t had an All-Star-caliber season, so if things were just, Elly De La Cruz (who played 32 games at the hot corner in 2023) would make the roster as the de facto backup third baseman instead.

Other Notes

• At least six National League second basemen have a legitimate All-Star case.  Luis Arraez represents the Giants thanks to his typical .326 batting average and not-so-typical elite defense, and Brice Turang grabs the other spot as the engine of the first-place Brewers offense.
• With the fans voting for a starting outfield trio of Soto (8th in NL in bWAR), Harris (9th), and Marsh (10th), there are a lot of deserving outfield candidates who aren’t going to be selected for one of the four reserve outfield spots. I had to make some tough calls.
• Position player WAR leader Pete Crow-Armstrong is an easy choice for one of the spots, having hit a scorching .398/.478/.814 with 13 home runs over his last 29 games.
• Jordan Walker gets the second reserve spot as the lone representative from the surprisingly competitive Cardinals, as even though he hasn’t been able to sustain his torrid start, he still ranks in the top three in both home runs and total bases among National League outfielders.
• Another typically steady year from Corbin Carroll earns him the third outfield spot as the Diamondbacks’ representative. He is currently leading MLB in triples for the third consecutive season while ranking third among NL outfielders with a 3. 4 bWAR.
• With apologies to Jackson Chourio, Andy Pages, Seiya Suzuki and others, the final reserve outfield spot must go to James Wood. The Nationals slugger trails only Goodman and Schwarber with 22 home runs, and his .911 OPS is the NL’s fourth-highest mark behind only Soto, Schwarber and Ohtani.
• To squeeze in the four outfielders, I went with only one reserve from a stacked collection of National League first basemen. So while Matt Olson and his 20 home runs certainly have an argument, you can’t have an All-Star Game in Philadelphia without Bryce Harper.
  

Honorable Mentions/Notable Omissions

• ​C: Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
• C: Liam Hicks, Miami Marlins
• C: William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
• 1B: Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
• 1B: Luis García Jr., Washington Nationals
• 1B: Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds
• 1B: Alec Burleson, St.Louis Cardinals
• 1B: Jake Bauers, Milwaukee Brewers
• 1B: Spencer Horwitz, Pittsburgh Pirates
• 1B: TJ Rumfield, Colorado Rockies
• 2B: Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins
• 2B: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
• 2B: Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh Pirates
• 2B: JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals
• OF: Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers
• OF: Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates
• OF: Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers
• OF: Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs
• OF: Jung Loo Lee, San Francisco Giants
• OF: Mickey Moniak, Colorado Rockies
• DH: Casey Schmitt, San Francisco Giants

National League Pitching Staff

• ​SP: Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers
• SP: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers*
• SP: Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds
• SP: Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
• SP: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
• SP: Kyle Harrison, Milwaukee Brewers
• SP: Max Meyer, Miami Marlins
• SP: Yoshunobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers
• SP: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
• RP: Mason Miller, San Diego Padres
• RP: Jhoan Duran, Philadelphia Phillies
• RP: Rasiel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves

​New Additions

• The only change from the June All-Star team is the addition of Max Meyer for the injured Robert Suarez. The 27-year-old right-hander has surprisingly been the Marlins’ best pitcher this season, ranking sixth in the National League with a 2.53 ERA and trailing only Misiorowski, Sánchez and teammate Sandy Alcantara with 103.0 innings pitched.

Other Notes

• Paul Skenes barely hangs onto his All-Star spot for now even though he ranks 15th in the National League with a 3.62 ERA. While this is unequivocally the worst half of his career, he still ranks third in the NL in strikeouts and fourth in WHIP, and, like Skubal, he gets some bonus points for being the reigning NL Cy Young winner.
• While the American League might have a deeper collection of All-Star-caliber pitchers, there is no bigger snub on the initial rosters than Logan Webb. After an opening night blowup against the Yankees, Webb has posted a 2.64 ERA over his last 13 starts, and he should be first in line once a spot opens up.
• Besides Webb, Eduardo Rodriguez and his shocking 2.21 ERA have a strong case to replace any starting pitcher that opts out, while Dylan Lee (0.95 ERA, 16 HLD) is the best reliever alternative.
• With how careful the Dodgers are with Shohei Ohtani, we will assume that he will be selected as both a DH and as a starting pitcher but only participate as a hitter.

Honorable Mentions/Notable Omissions

• ​SP: Jesús Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies
• SP: Foster Griffin, Washington Nationals
• SP: Nolan McLean, New York Mets
• SP: Braxton Ashcraft, Pittsburgh Pirates
• SP: Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks
• SP: Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
• SP: Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants
• SP: Justin Wrobleski, Los Angeles Dodgers
• RP: Luke Weaver, New York Mets
• RP: Dylan Lee, Atlanta Braves
• RP: Riley O’Brien, St. Louis Cardinals
• RP: Adrian Morejon, San Diego Padres
• RP: Tanner Scott, Los Angeles Dodgers

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