Clayton Kershaw and 5 MLB All-Stars who won't be back to the midsummer classic

Over 80 players, from future Hall of Famers Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani to budding superstars Jacob Wilson and Pete Crow-Armstrong, can call themselves 2025 MLB All-Stars.

If that number seems excessive, don’t forget how many players earned an All-Star nod by replacing others. Major League Baseball also designated Los Angeles Dodgers great Clayton Kershaw as a Legend Pick in what will likely be his final All-Star Game.

If this is indeed Kershaw’s final Midsummer Classic, we have the feeling that he won’t be alone. There are only so many spots to go around each year, and the 2025 season may mark the only time some players earn (or luck into) an All-Star selection.

Here are six players, counting Kershaw, that we don’t expect to see at another All-Star Game.

6. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Let’s start with an easy one. Major League Baseball likely wouldn’t have added the 37-year-old Kershaw as a Legacy Pick if the league felt he’d pitch again in 2026. Injuries have taken their toll, and Kershaw’s best stuff is long behind him.

Good news for the Dodgers: a healthy Kershaw is slowly finding ways to succeed without striking out hitters, and he’s quietly pitched at least six innings in four of his last five starts. We’d better enjoy Kershaw while we still can, because the odds are against him toeing the mound at this time next year.

Kershaw is 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA and a 35-15 K-BB ratio over 50 2/3 innings. He’s been solid enough for a Dodgers team desperately needing rotation depth and stability, and we’ll see what his role is come the postseason. The thought of Kershaw coming out of the bullpen isn’t as terrifying as it once would have sounded, but he’s proving he can still get outs and work relatively deep into games.

5. Adrián Morejón, San Diego Padres

We’re giving Morejón an asterisk, of sorts, because our skepticism only applies if Morejón remains a middle reliever. Closers earn far more opportunities to make the All-Star Game, but Morejón has never been a closer in the majors, and he may not get that chance until he hits free agency in a couple of years.

Morejón entered the break with a 1.85 ERA and a 42-9 K-BB ratio in 43 2/3 innings. Opposing playoff contenders should already be concerned about facing him in October, especially considering he's allowed just a single home run. Imagine Morejón entering a postseason game against the Dodgers, needing to shut down Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.

The 26-year-old Morejón nonetheless deserves credit for turning his career around, posting a 2.43 ERA and a 113-30 K-BB ratio in 107 1/3 innings since the start of 2024. We just don’t think we’ll see him at another All-Star Game if he’s not a closer.

4. Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies

Goodman is amid a third-year breakout, entering the break with 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .842 OPS for the historically bad Rockies. We don’t imagine you’ll be surprised that Goodman’s 1.9 bWAR leads the Rockies, and he’s one of only two players (joining reliever Jimmy Herget) with at least a 1.5 bWAR.

Our concerns stem from Goodman’s 27.9 career strikeout rate, and he’s already struck out 92 times in 345 plate appearances. Goodman has flashed enough this year to show he’s worthy of surviving the Rockies’ latest rebuild, but we haven’t seen enough to feel comfortable suggesting he’ll become a regular All-Star.

But, Rockies fans need at least something to smile about amid a 22-74 season. Don’t be surprised to see Goodman come out of nowhere and win All-Star Game MVP on Tuesday night. We feel that Rockies fans deserve just the slightest bit of excitement before resuming their chase for a record 122 losses.

3. Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles

O’Hearn, who turns 32 later this month, came from nowhere and is on pace for his first 20-homer season. The eight-year veteran has already provided a disappointing Orioles team with 1.7 bWAR, and his .840 is easily a career-high.  

Still, we’ve seen plenty of one-year All-Star surprises in the past. At least O’Hearn has positioned himself to get overpaid in free agency, and he’ll likely join a contender in the coming weeks; the Orioles are 7 ½ back in the AL Wild Card race and have several pieces, including O’Hearn, worth trading before the July 31 deadline.

Which teams could acquire O’Hearn? That’s a conversation for another day, but the Boston Red Sox certainly make sense if Baltimore isn’t opposed to trading within the AL East. The Philadelphia Phillies also make sense on paper, assuming the Phils would put O’Hearn at first base and move Bryce Harper back to the outfield.

2. Javier Báez, Detroit Tigers

Outside of Kershaw, Báez is the only player on this list who’d previously attended a Midsummer Classic as a player. Báez, then with the Chicago Cubs, started the 2018 All-Star Game at second and started at shortstop the next year.  That feels like a lifetime ago, especially considering how many members of that World Series core — Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Jake Arrieta — have run into injuries and misfortune in recent years.

We don’t buy Báez’s sudden resurgence, not after he batted .221 with a 23.9 strikeout rate from 2022-24. Báez’s .752 OPS is barely above-average, and he’s only drawn nine walks in 284 plate appearances. We probably won’t see Báez at another All-Star Game unless Detroit Tigers fans stuff the ballot box next summer.

But, as we said, it’s good to see at least one member of those mid-2010s Cubs still being productive. Now let’s see if Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, and the current Cubs have a pennant in their future.

1. Shane Smith, Chicago White Sox

At 25 years old, Smith has his entire career ahead of him, and he may still evolve into a reliable starter. However, he’s only an All-Star this year because league rules mandate every team have at least one selection. Does a pitcher with a 4.26 ERA and 37 walks in 86 2/3 innings really deserve to be an All-Star?

Keep in mind that Smith is an All-Star, yet Texas Rangers veteran Nathan Eovaldi (7-3, 1.58, and 3.4 bWAR) didn’t earn a trip to Atlanta. Maybe we’re cynical, but we don’t see Smith ever finding himself on another All-Star team.

To be clear: we’re not rooting against any of these players. We’re doubtful these players will have an All-Star icon on their Baseball-Reference resume when all is said and done. Trust us: It’d be great to see Smith start the 2028 All-Star Game or for Goodman to smash a 450-foot homer at Citizens Bank Park next July.