Phillies' Zack Wheeler gets last laugh against MLB for All-Star snub

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Phillies' Zack Wheeler gets last laugh against MLB for All-Star snub

By Zachary Cariola | Last updated Jul 11, 2026 4:49 PM ET

Though the Philadelphia Phillies will have six players represent them at the 96th All-Star Game, one will not be in attendance: Zack Wheeler.

Virtually missing the first month of the season due to his recovery from thoracic outlet surgery, Wheeler was a snub from making the All-Star team despite pitching like one. Since rejoining the Phillies — Wheeler was activated from the injured list on April 25 — Wheeler has pitched like an ace and got the last laugh against Major League Baseball by declining an invitation to join the National League roster.

Zack Wheeler felt "disrespected" and a "fifth option" with MLB's invitation

With pitchers dropping out left and right from the All-Star Game for one reason or another — Shohei Ohtani being the biggest name so far — Major League Baseball floated an invitation to join the team to the Phillies' three-time All-Star, which he declined. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Cole Weintraub, Wheeler felt "disrespected" and treated as a "fifth option" after not initially making the team.

Making matters worse, MLB selected Wheeler's teammate, Jesus Luzardo (deserving of an All-Star nod), over him, which proved to be irksome to Wheeler.

The league did reach out to Zack Wheeler to join the National League All-Star team, but he declined the invitation.
— Cole Weintraub (@WeintraubCole) July 11, 2026

Wheeler said he felt like he was “disrespected” and didn’t want to be treated like a “fifth option.”
— Cole Weintraub (@WeintraubCole) July 11, 2026

At 9-1 with a 2.28 ERA, Wheeler showed MLB why he was deserving of an All-Star selection in his last start against the Cincinnati Reds. Striking out 14 Reds in seven innings on 104 pitches (69 strikes), Wheeler doubled down on how mad he was.

"It pisses me off and it's kind of BS," Wheeler told reporters after Tuesday's dominant outing.

Not qualified for any of the major categories due to not having enough innings (87.0), Wheeler's 2.28 ERA would be considered third-best in the National League behind former Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (2.20) and the frontrunner for this year's Cy Young, Jacob Misiorowski (1.62).

The 36-year-old would also have the third-best WHIP (0.91), would be tied for second in batting average against (.190) and tied for first with the fewest walks allowed (20).

Despite having shown himself deserving of making the team, Wheeler's job moving forward is to pitch the Phillies into the playoffs and possibly the World Series. Fueled by not making the roster, Wheeler has everything going for him to succeed.

Zachary Cariola

My name is Zachary Cariola and I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. My areas of expertise are MLB, NBA, and NFL. When I’m not writing, I love spending time with my family and learning history.

More must-reads: