The absolute best baseball players in the world will take the field on Tuesday night in Citizens Bank Park for the 96th Midsummer Classic presented by Mastercard, but perhaps Major League Baseball’s BIGGEST star is nowhere to be found.
So, why isn’t Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (and two-way star) not participating in the 2026 MLB All-Star game? The National League’s manager is Dave Roberts, and the Dodgers are being treated like royalty for this event due to being the reigning, defending World Series champions. Well, turns out that baseball’s best player right now needs some rest, too, and Ohtani’s lingering (also very ominous) knee injury is keeping him away from All-Star game festivities. The 96th edition of the All-Star game is Tuesday, July 14 @ 8:00 p.m. on FOX.
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Shohei Ohtani Dealing with Knee Injury
GettyTORONTO, ONTARIO – OCTOBER 24: Manager Dave Roberts #30 and Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers look on before game one of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center on October 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The main reason that Shohei Ohtani is not playing in the MLB All-Star game is due to an ongoing knee injury that caused him to miss his last scheduled start.
Dave Roberts was clear months ago that ‘Unicorn’ Ohtani would not be pitching in the ASG, but then further news broke this past week that Shohei Ohtani would be missing the game altogether.
On 7/10, here is what the Los Angeles Dodgers X account wrote (about Ohtani’s ASG status):
âShohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start on the mound this evening against the D-backs due to continued irritation in his left knee. He will serve as the designated hitter the rest of the weekend, but following the series against the D-backs he will have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season. Unfortunately, due to these events, he will not be able to travel to Philadelphia and participate in the 2026 All-Star Game.â
Shohei Ohtani was named to his sixth straight All-Star game, and is usually the star of the ‘Sho’ whenever he steps on the field, so there will obviously be a big void when the starters are announced, and he’s not out there. Ohtani is batting .293 this season over 88 games with 22 home runs, 58 RBI, 65 runs scored, and a monster OPS+ of 161. That’s not even including his pitching stats, either, which are incredible in their own right.
To make things even more ominous about Ohtani’s injury is the fact all reports suggest that he will play for the Dodgers in the first series out of the break, against the New York Yankees. Perhaps he really just needs this time off, which the Dodgers seem to be very obliged to allow him to have.
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Who Are the Other Dodgers All-Stars?
GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI – MAY 3: Andy Pages #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits an RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning at Busch Stadium on May 3, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Dodgers (to the shock of nobody) were awarded six total reps (including Ohtani) for the 2026 MLB All-Star game. Four (also including Ohtani) were named starters (Max Muncy, 3B, Freddie Freeman, 1B, Andy Pages, CF).
Along with that group, starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Justin Wrobleski will be joining as reserves.
The hometown team (Philadelphia Phillies) also has six representatives.
Manager Dave Roberts commented on the plethora of Dodgers representation:
“It’s the first time in a long time that we’ve had four starters, as far as position players, start the All-Star Game, so that was great,” said manager Dave Roberts.
It’s the seventh straight All-Star game with at least five Dodgers players, which highlights the organization’s dominance over the past decade.
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