Angels’ Yusei Kikuchi Replaced by Rays Pitcher on AL All-Star Team

Kikuchi is the probable pitcher for the Halos on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, so he will not be able to pitch in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic. He is the only Angel to be selected so far, meaning the Angels may not have a representative on the team.

This was Kikuchi's second All-Star selection, as he was also the sole recipient of the honor for the Seattle Mariners in 2021. He has a 3.02 ERA this season through 19 starts, and leads the Halos in ERA, strikeouts and ERA+.

“All my teammates were really happy for me,” Kikuchi said after general manager Perry Minasian broke the news. "Perry came in and delivered a really heartfelt message. It really got to me. Like, I got a little emotional. But I just have this feeling that I want to do something special with this team this year.”

Kikuchi is also having the best season of his career so far, as his ERA is far superior to numbers he has put up in the past. He has also cut the long ball out of his game, as his mark of 1.0 home runs per nine innings is better than all of his past seasons except for the shortened 2020 campaign.

After this season, Kikuchi still has two years with the Angels, who will hope he can continue to produce All-Star caliber seasons as their young core grows.

That's not to say the Angels are out of the mix yet in 2025, however. The Angels strung together a solid May and June, and despite a rough month of July so far, they are still in the race for a spot in the AL Wild Card. They sit four games back of the Boston Red Sox, and have the chance to close the gap against the Diamondbacks before the All-Star Break.

Their series against the D-Backs kicks off on Friday at 6:38 p.m. PT.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.