Through a mix of player balloting and selections from the league office, the full AL and NL rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game have been released. But that doesn't mean that there won't still be additions and subtractions in the days ahead: Unfortunately, the injury bug has reared its head all too often so far this season, and several players who earned their spot in Atlanta won't be able to participate in the game itself.
But don't worry. Each year gives us a fresh new set of All-Star snubs to get riled up about, and 2025 was no exception, with a ton of players left out in the cold despite spectacular first halves. While you never want to see any player get hurt or be unable to realize their dream of playing in the Midsummer Classic, those injuries do offer an opportunity for even more deserving stars to be given one of the sport's ultimate honors. Here are four players left off the initial roster who should still find their way on as replacements.
(As a reminder: If an All-Star starter can't participate in the game, they're replaced by the next-highest vote-getter from the fan ballot at that position, with MLB backfilling the roster spot at its discretion. If a player ballot selection can't participate, they're replaced by the next-highest finisher at that position, unless that player is already accounted for on the roster, in which case MLB fills the roster spot at its discretion.)
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4. Isaac Paredes, INF, Houston Astros
Jeremy Pena has been one of the stories of the season so far, a dark-horse MVP candidate and one of the biggest reasons behind the Houston Astros' surprisingly strong first half. Unfortunately, the shortstop suffered a rib fracture after getting hit by a pitch late last month, one that will almost certainly hold him out of the All-Star Game.
So the least we can do is make sure another Houston infielder makes it to Atlanta. With Jacob Wilson and Bobby Witt Jr. already at short, we can fudge the positionality a bit here and go with Paredes, who's got an .824 OPS and 18 homers over his first 86 games with the Astros. He's been one of the best infield bats in the spot so far, and he's a worthy choice who can play either third or second base in the game itself.
3. Junior Caminero, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays might wind up losing an All-Star selection in Brandon Lowe, who left Sunday's game with discomfort in his side. (Lowe is calling it precautionary, but oblique injuries are nothing to mess with, especially not in a tight divisional race.) Luckily, he's got a teammate more than worthy of taking his place: Caminero has quietly blossomed into the star his prospect pedigree suggested he should be, slashing .258/.301/.508 with 21 homers already this season.
The glove needs some work, and does have an impact on his overall value. But this is one of the most exciting young sluggers in the sport, one who's had a first half worthy of an All-Star nod, and he'd have a chance to make himself a household name in Atlanta. And at age 22, this would just be the first of many.
2. Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles
Sure, it's been a pretty miserable season for the Baltimore Orioles so far, and you can argue that they don't deserve more than one player on this year's AL roster. (Ryan O'Hearn was voted as the starter at DH, and deservedly so.) But after a slow start, Henderson has started to look more like the MVP candidate he was last season: He posted an .802 OPS in the month of May and a .902 mark in June, one of the lone bright spots on an otherwise inconsistent O's offense.
Alex Bregman makes it three AL infielders who are likely to require replacing for the All-Star Game, as he still seems unlikely to make it back onto the field in time after suffering a quad strain several weeks ago. Henderson has flown under the radar after most had written both he and his team off, but he's played at an All-Star level of late, and he deserves a spot.
1. Cristopher Sanchez, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
Sanchez might be the most egregious snub on this list, although that's as much to do with how deep the starting pitching crop is in the NL as anything else. Unfortunately, one of those starters, Atlanta Braves lefty Chris Sale, is guaranteed to miss this year's All-Star Game after fracturing his rib last month. In his absence, Sanchez feels like an obvious choice.
The Phillies have been carried by their starting rotation this season, and while Zack Wheeler gets most of the love, Sanchez has been almost as good, pitching to a 2.68 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 100.1 innings. There are plenty of other pitchers to choose from here, most notably Nick Pivetta, but Sanchez is a cut above the rest.