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The week between the MLB All-Star Game roster announcement and the game itself is for two things and two things only: pressuring power hitters into participating in the Home Run Derby and debating All-Star snubs.
Well, Cal Raleigh is in the Derby so that part is taken care of. As for the snubs, there are plenty to go around. It starts with Juan Soto. The first-year New York Mets right fielder had a darn good case for selection, but instead he'll miss the roster for the first time since before the pandemic (there was no All-Star Game in 2020).
Another player who has been a mainstay on the roster is Mookie Betts, but a slow start at the plate (by his standards) means he will instead have a few days off next week.
There are plenty of complaints to go around. Here are the most notable 2025 MLB All-Star Game snubs.
Perennial MLB All-Star Mookie Betts is having a rare down year
Betts isn't a snub, per se, but his absence is notable because it's the first time since 2015 that he did not receive the honor. The numbers just aren't there this season. In 83 games, he's slashing .252/.324/.397 with 11 home runs and an OPS+ just a couple ticks above league average.
It's not entirely his fault, however. Remember: he started the season with a horrific stomach bug that caused him to drop almost 20 pounds. Thankfully, he may be coming back into form, as he's hitting .375 with two home runs and a double over his last four games.
Juan Soto has found his stride with the Mets
Soto may not be hitting for the average he's used to (.263 vs. career .283), but the rest of the numbers are there. The National League walks leader also has 21 home runs and a .903 OPS. Soto had a slow start to the year after signing that historic contract with the Mets over the offseason and the expectations around him are already ludicrous. It's almost like nothing he does can be good enough.
But over the past two months, he's climbed to eighth in the game in wRC+ and is hitting for a 160 OPS+ — certainly All-Star material.
Trea Turner may be the biggest MLB All-Star Game snub
It's hard to justify keeping the National League hits leader out of the All-Star Game, but Turner will be watching the festivities from home. His offensive numbers tell enough of a story with a .299 average, .802 OPS and 22 stolen bases to go with his 109 hits. But he's also been elite defensively. Baseball Savant puts him at eight outs above average, which is his best output since 2018.
To be fair, shortstop is a tough position to make the team from. Francisco Lindor got the starting nod in the National League, with Elly De La Cruz behind him.
Rafael Devers was traded at the wrong time
If the Boston Red Sox had not traded Devers, he would almost certainly be on the American League All-Star team, and probably starting at DH. But a certain Dodger named Shohei Ohtani had the spot locked up in the NL with Kyle Schwarber joining him at the position.
Between his time in Boston and San Francisco, Devers has certainly posted All-Star-caliber numbers. He is hitting .265 with an .872 OPS and 17 home runs, though he's yet to truly find his stride with the Giants over his first 19 games.
