Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft, Philadelphia Phillies southpaw Jesús Luzardo, and St. Louis Cardinals closer Riley O'Brien were added to the National League All-Star team Tuesday.
The trio is replacing Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, and Miami Marlins right-hander Max Meyer. All three aces are slated to start for their respective teams Sunday, making them ineligible to pitch in next week's Midsummer Classic.
Fans sadly won't get to see three of the Senior Circuit's best pitchers strut their stuff against the American League. Misiorowski, a controversial All-Star selection as a rookie last summer, was a candidate to start this year's game. The Brewers flamethrower leads the majors with 167 strikeouts, a 1.62 ERA, and 0.76 WHIP in just his second big-league season.
Skenes hasn't quite risen to the levels of his first two major-league campaigns but still entered Tuesday's start sporting a 3.62 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 119 strikeouts over his first 18 outings. Meyer, 27, won't get to pitch in his first All-Star Game despite authoring a 2.53 ERA with 112 strikeouts during a breakout campaign.
All three replacements will be making their first career All-Star appearances.
Ashcraft's been a perfect fit behind Skenes in the Pirates' rotation during his first full season as a big-league starter. The 26-year-old leads the team in ERA (3.24), FIP (3.16), WHIP (1.10), and strikeouts (122) across 108 1/3 innings. He also ranks in the NL's top 10 in K/9 and BB/9.
Luzardo, 28, has put up a 3.75 ERA, 2.96 FIP, and 1.27 WHIP along with 125 strikeouts over 103 1/3 innings this season. The eight-year veteran gives the host Phillies six All-Stars, the most out of any team.
O'Brien has been the rock of the Cardinals' bullpen this year. His 22 saves are tied with Mason Miller for the NL lead, and he also sports a 3.72 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 35 strikeouts and just two homers allowed in 36 1/3 innings.
The 2026 All-Star Game will be played July 14 at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park.
