If the 2025 MLB All-Star Game satisfied your baseball needs, you’d better hope it holds you over for a few days.
A glance at the MLB schedule on Wednesday and Thursday shows … well, nothing. Every single team, from the first-place Dodgers through the last-place Rockies, is off until Friday afternoon, when the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs battle it out at Wrigley Field.
We understand if you’re confused why baseball would forego two whole days, especially after a thrilling Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. Here’s why there are no MLB games immediately after the All-Star Game.
Why aren’t there any MLB games on tonight?
Historically, Major League Baseball has used the day after the All-Star Game as a leaguewide off day. It doesn’t make sense to have the Cubs and Red Sox battle it out when both teams had players in Atlanta at the All-Star Game. This is especially true for teams traveling to Canada or the West Coast.
There previously existed an idea that Major League Baseball ceded the Wednesday following the All-Star Game to ESPN and the ESPYs. However, the off day predates the ESPYs (which began in 1993) by decades.
Assuming Major League Baseball continues holding the All-Star Game on Tuesday, it’ll be interesting to see if the league ever considers finding something to air on Wednesday or Thursday. Both nights make sense for the MLB Futures Game, which typically airs on the weekend before the All-Star Game.
Jonah Tong worked a perfect 1-2-3 inning during the 2025 All-Star Futures Game
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 12, 2025
The 22-year-old threw 19 pitches (11 strikes), recording one strikeout and hitting 97 MPH with his fastball pic.twitter.com/8OYYkC9U3z
This year’s Futures Game took place this past Sunday, though it went head-to-head with a full slate of MLB games. If the league holds the Futures Game at the big-league All-Star venue, then it makes sense to consider giving the event its own night.
Alternatively, the league could revive the Triple-A All-Star Game and hold it on Wednesday night. The last Triple-A All-Star Game occurred in 2019, and it’d be another opportunity to spotlight the sport’s next potential superstars.
So, what will MLB Network air on Wednesday night with no baseball on? You can watch the season’s top plays thus far, a repeat of batting practice before Monday’s Home Run Derby, and then a repeat of the Home Run Derby. How exciting.
Baseball deserves credit for finding new ways to highlight its current players in recent years, and both ratings and attendance prove that. However, the next step might be as simple as finding live, relevant programming to close out All-Star Week. We’re sure the league can find something, even if it’s not a long-awaited Home Run Derby between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.