Sunday evening, following a brief cornhole-related delay, the rosters for the MLB All-Star Game were announced.
As is often the case, those rosters have left the door open to some debate.
Let’s take a look at eight players who were deserving of a selection, but left off the list. While they may still get onto a roster as a replacement selection these eight put up numbers worthy of an initial pick.
Juan Soto, OF, New York Mets
In many ways, Juan Soto’s exclusion from the All-Star Game may be due to his previous success.
Soto signed a massive deal with the New York Mets this offseason but got off to a slow start with his new club, slashing just .232/.347/.354 in April and .219/.345/.448 in May. Since then, however, he has been on a tear and is currently fourth in the majors with an OBP of .396, seventh in the National League with an OPS of .904, has 21 home runs, and was named the NL Player of the Month for June.
The outfield group is a deep one for the National League and Soto did get off to a slow start, especially by his standards. Still, he was deserving of a spot.
Seiya Suzuki, DH, Chicago Cubs
Another deep spot in the All-Star Game this year? National League designated hitter. Certainly, Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber are worthy selections: Ohtani was the leading vote-getter on the NL side and Schwarber is having perhaps the best season of his career, putting up a slash line of .250/.382/.540 along with 27 home runs, 62 runs batted in, 63 walks, and a 151 OPS+.
But Seiya Suzuki is having a monster season as well. He leads the majors with 77 RBI, and belted his 25th home run last night. Yes, DH is deep, and it is hard to argue against Ohtani or Schwarber, but Suzuki feels like a snub.
Michael Busch, 1B, Chicago Cubs
Three first basemen made the roster on the NL side. Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman was voted in as the starter, with Mets slugger Pete Alonso and hometown favorite Matt Olson selected as reserves.
But in addition to Suzuki, another Cubs player has a case as a snub: 1B Michael Busch. He’s posted a slash line of .297/.384/.566 this season — numbers that are better than Olson’s — and his Weighted Runs Created Plus (WRC+) of 166 is tops among first basemen in the majors, ahead of even Alonso’s 160.
Add in what he does with the glove, and it feels like Busch should have been on the roster.
Trea Turner, SS, Philadelphia Phillies
It is hard to argue with the two shortstops on the NL roster, starter Francisco Lindor (himself a recent ASG snub) and reserve Elly De La Cruz.
But Trea Turner is also worthy of a selection.
He’s posted a slash line of .299/.351/.451 this season along with 11 HRs and 39 RBI, but he’s also a Top-15 player in fWAR this year.
The other 14 on that list were All-Star selections.
George Springer, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Sometimes an event like the All-Star Game needs a feel-good story.
George Springer might be the best of those this season.
The 35-year-old outfielder is having arguably the best season of his career, with a slash line of .281/.374/.512 along with 16 home runs. He is also among the American League’s top five in several offensive categories:
George Springer’s AL ranks:
SLG: 5th (.512)
OPS: 4th (.886)
OPS+: 4th (147)
wRC+: 4th (147)Top 5 offensive player in the American League and somehow not an All-Star. pic.twitter.com/h7S5NrfCMZ
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 6, 2025
Add in the fact that the resurgent Toronto Blue Jays currently sit in first place in the AL East, and you have a tremendous storyline.
While the outfield is a deep group on the AL side, Springer feels like a snub.
Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays
Similar to what happened to Seiya Suzuki, Junior Caminero fell victim to a talented position group. Jose Ramirez won the fans’ vote and was joined by player’s vote winner Alex Bregman, who got off to a hot start but has been sidelined since late May with a quad injury.
Perhaps that opens the door to Caminero, who has belted 21 home runs this season along with an OPS of .808, along with a slugging percentage of .508, second in the majors among third basemen. Detractors will point to his low batting average (.258) and an on-base percentage of .301, but it feels like his power should have been on display at the All-Star Game.
Randy Arozarena, OF, Seattle Mariners
Arozarena is one of the MLBs biggest rising stars, showcasing highlight reel homers and catches in the outfield for Seattle. He’s hit 14 homers and has helped the Mariners offense reach high levels of output through the first half of the season. Sure, he’s only batting .249 and is in a loaded AL outfield group, but Arozarena and teammate Julio Rodriguez are darn near similar in WAR while Rodriguez has been worse as a batter.
There’s still time for an injury replacement, but Arozarena being on the outside looking in feels like a mistake for the All Star game.
Cristopher Sanchez, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies entering the All-Star break at 53-37 and second in team ERA, but only Zach Wheeler making the game from their rotation feels kind of surprising. Sanchez is 14th in the MLB in ERA at 2.68 and has won seven games for the Phillies, but has been left off the NL All-Star game roster. If you’re a WAR person, Sanchez’s 3.7 WAR is higher than Kris Bubic and Mackenzie Gore, who both made the roster over Sanchez. Of all the Phillies’ non-Wheeler pitchers, Sanchez should’ve gotten the nod.
