Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 5

2026 MLB All-Snub Team Names 15 Overlooked Players as All-Star Rosters Take Shape

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 5

2026 MLB All-Snub Team Names 15 Overlooked Players as All-Star Rosters Take Shape

Q: Will Zack Wheeler's comeback from career-threatening surgery earn him a late All-Star roster spot?

Probably not. Wheeler has a strong merit case. Since returning in late April from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery that ended his 2025 season, the Phillies right-hander has been one of the National League’s best pitchers, going 8-1 with a 2.36 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 84 strikeouts in 80 innings. He has also produced 3.8 bWAR, among the top marks for MLB pitchers, and his comeback is one of the season’s best stories. With the All-Star Game in Philadelphia, he looked like an obvious candidate if the roster expanded through normal replacements. But the key obstacle is timing. The latest reporting indicates Wheeler is lined up to pitch next Tuesday and again on Sunday before the break. If that schedule holds, he would be ineligible in practical terms to be added as a late All-Star replacement, because pitchers starting that close to the game are typically replaced or do not participate. So his comeback has absolutely strengthened his All-Star case and made the initial omission look questionable, but it is unlikely to translate into an actual late roster spot this year. The most accurate answer is that he deserved serious consideration, yet his pre-break pitching schedule now appears more decisive than the strength of his comeback narrative.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 5

Fifteen players made the 2026 MLB All-Snub Team after Saturday’s All-Star roster reveal, with Willson Contreras, Brice Turang, Elly De La Cruz and Zack Wheeler among the most prominent omissions.
Contreras ranked 11th among qualified hitters with a 150 wRC+, Turang anchored a Brewers club with MLB’s second-best record, and Wheeler posted a 2.36 ERA since returning in late April.
Pitching snubs ran especially deep: Braxton Ashcraft outperformed fellow Pirate Paul Skenes in several measures, Bryce Miller logged a 1.71 ERA with 62 strikeouts and five walks, and Davis Martin rated well by both bWAR and fWAR.
Several absences could prove temporary because All-Star rosters typically expand when injured players withdraw or scheduled starters become unavailable before the July 14 game in Philadelphia.