The 2026 All-Star Game gets going at 8 p.m. tonight, though the real start may come later once MLB finishes the pregame pageantry it insists on stacking before first pitch. Fox has the broadcast, and that’s the only place to watch it.
For Orioles fans, the biggest note is Adley Rutschman being back as an American League reserve for the third time. It’s a little less fun than it was a couple of years ago, when he had more Baltimore company around him, but his bounce-back after a couple of down seasons has mattered for the Orioles this year and figures to matter again next year. He should catch two or three innings and pick up one or two at-bats tonight.
The AL starting lineup is Mike Trout in center, Yordan Álvarez at DH, Shea Langeliers behind the plate, Junior Caminero at third, Bobby Witt Jr. at short, Cody Bellinger in right, Ben Rice at first, Riley Greene in left, and Ernie Clement at second. Dylan Cease gets the start on the mound.
Trout’s return to the All-Star Game after a couple of years away is one of the more pleasant surprises in baseball this season. He’s back to relative good health and has been pretty good this year, which is a nice turn even if it’s happening for an Angels team that is bad and going nowhere.
That’s classic Angels stuff. A late-career run of postseason success for Trout would be good for baseball, and maybe even something to enjoy - just not if it comes against the Orioles.
On the National League side, the starters are Kyle Schwarber at DH, Juan Soto in right, Freddie Freeman at first, CJ Abrams at short, Max Muncy at third, Ozzie Albies at second, Brandon Marsh in left, Andy Pages in center, and Drake Baldwin at catcher. Cristopher Sánchez will start for the NL.
One of the small pleasures of looking at All-Star lineups is trying to guess how many future Hall of Famers are in the room. Trout is the obvious one for the AL.
Witt looks like a strong bet too, with 26.8 bWAR through his first 4.5 seasons. Álvarez could get there if the next five years look like the last five.
That may be the extent of it for this group. Aaron Judge, elected as a starter but not playing, is going to make it someday, and there’s no joy in saying that.
The NL has a few more clear Hall cases. Schwarber looks like a decent bet to reach 500 home runs, which remains the standard for players not caught using or widely believed to have used PEDs.
Soto, with 45.4 bWAR and still only in his age-27 season, wouldn’t be in if he retired tomorrow because he hasn’t hit the minimum ten seasons, but three more years at his usual level would probably change that. Freeman is headed to Cooperstown.
Shohei Ohtani, the NL’s elected starting DH, is obviously going there too.
Compared with last year, this group may be a touch lighter on future Hall of Fame firepower. Last year’s elected AL starters included Judge and José Ramírez, while the NL had Freeman, Ohtani, Manny Machado, and Francisco Lindor.
Younger names like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Pete Crow-Armstrong were in that mix as well. So this year’s crop looks about normal, maybe a little below the usual level.
In Other News...
Orioles May Be Regretting One Bullpen Call More Than Ever
About a year ago, the Orioles made a bullpen move that looked sensible enough at the time, sending Bryan Baker to the Rays for a draft pick and betting on the value of the selection over the arm. Baltimore has never been shy about treating the back end of the roster as a place to churn, and the deal fit that mindset, especially with a rival in the division willing to take the pitcher off its hands.
What has changed is Bakers trajectory since landing in Tampa Bay, where he has turned into the kind of reliever Baltimore could use right now. The Orioles can point to the pick they got back, but the trade has become a reminder that bullpen evaluations are fragile, and that a move that seems minor in July can look much larger once a pitcher settles in and starts missing bats for someone else. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles May Have Finally Found The Pitching Gem Elias Rarely Drafts
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What makes Piech worth watching from here is the combination of stuff, feel and reputation. Evaluators have liked the way his control has sharpened, and his high school coach Joe Bowers has been just as bullish about the work ethic and long-term upside. For an Orioles organization that has often been more aggressive with bats than arms, the question now is how quickly Piech can translate that college success into the minor league system and whether the early promise holds up against better professional hitters. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles First Round Pick Hit With Another Frustrating Setback
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Honeycutt, ranked No. 28 in Baltimores system by MLB Pipeline, had shown enough raw power to hint at why the Orioles were intrigued, but the bigger question now is simply getting him on the field long enough to build rhythm. For a player whose development depends on reps, the combination of strikeouts, slumps and repeated injuries has made every setback feel a little more costly. [Read more 🡒]