Predicting the Padres players most likely to make the 2026 All-Star Game

Thanks to a recent stretch of ugly baseball, the San Diego Padres' postseason prospects are looking less favorable by the day. An offense that can't score and a pitching staff that heavily relies on its bullpen isn't exactly the best recipe for success.

Naturally, that means that the Friars won't be quite as well-represented at the Midsummer Classic as they've been in the past; they sent five players to the All-Star Game in both 2024 and 2025, a feat that looks unrepeatable this year.

Still, they've got a few candidates worthy of consideration, led by one in particular who is already a lock to head to Philadelphia for the mid-July festivities.

Ranking Padres' 5 most-likely All-Stars in 2026

1. Mason Miller

A lot of digital ink has been spilled waxing poetic about how good Miller has been this season, and if there's ever been a reliever that was an early June lock to make the Midsummer Classic, it's the 2026 iteration of the Padres' closer.

Not that you need me to recite his dominance, but among all National League relievers, Miller currently ranks third in ERA (1.01) and first in each of the following: FIP (0.63), saves (18), strikeout rate (49.0%), and fWAR (1.6). Like I said, he's an All-Star lock.

2. Bradgley Rodriguez

Sending two relievers to the All-Star Game is a foreign concept for most teams, but not the Padres. Jason Adam, Robert Suarez, and Adrian Morejon all represented the team last year in Atlanta.

Rodriguez is absolutely the best bet to be the "other" reliever the Friars send to Philly, as he owns a 1.82 ERA (2.63 FIP) in nearly 30 innings out of the bullpen. He's been one of Craig Stammen's most reliable arms all year long, living up to the preseason hype. A strong month of June will make him an excellent partner-in-crime for Miller at the Midsummer Classic.

3. Yuki Matsui

Everything we just said about Rodriguez can be applied to Matsui, who is finally making good on the promise he showed in the NPB years ago. He owns a 1.45 ERA through his first dozen appearances this year, most impressively holding right-handed batters to a paltry .125 batting average.

The biggest thing working against Matsui is his limited workload, as he's tossed less than 20 innings to this point. It's not his fault that a spring adductor strain held him out until May, but it could be the reason he doesn't get enough love from fans in the voting process.

4. Michael King

As expected, King has been the ace of the Padres' staff this year, leading the rotation in innings pitched (74), ERA (3.41), and fWAR (1.1). In most years, he'd be a sensible option to make the All-Star Game, at the very least as an injury replacement.

Really, the thing holding back King's candidacy is that he's facing some of the stiffest competition of all time. There are 18(!) other starters with more WAR than King at the moment, and 12 with a better ERA. There's not much he can do about that.

5. Gavin Sheets

Truthfully, Sheets finds himself on this list simply because it feels like we need to discuss at least one position player candidate. He's the default option thanks to his breakout performance at the plate (122 wRC+, .776 OPS) and the fact that he has 70 more plate appearances than Ty France thus far. Oh, and he was named a dark-horse by MLB.com.

Still, he almost certainly won't beat out some of the other first base stars in the NL, such as Bryce Harper, Matt Olson, or Freddie Freeman, all of whom have a wRC+ over 135. Given the rest of the Padres' struggles on offense, though, Sheets is the best bet for some hitting representation.

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