Zack Wheeler won't participate in the All-Star Game

As it turns out, all the debates about whether Zack Wheeler or Paul Skenes should start in the All-Star Game were meaningless.

Wheeler will not participate in the All-Star Game at all, it was revealed Friday night. San Diego Padres' reliever Adrian Morejon has replaced him on the NL's active roster: 

Turns out Zack Wheeler won’t be pitching at all in the All-Star Game. https://t.co/l6wvO3dCdf

— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) July 11, 2025

Matt Gelb of The Athletic offered the following explanation for why Wheeler won't participate: 

Zack Wheeler has been dropped from the NL All-Star roster. He's decided to prioritize rest and prepare for the second half, the Phillies said.

— Matt Gelb (@mattgelb.bsky.social) July 11, 2025 at 5:39 PM

Wheeler is scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Padres. Pitchers who start on the Sunday before the All-Star Game don't end up competing in the Tuesday exhibition, but it's a bit surprising for Wheeler not to participate after pitching on Saturday. It's even more surprising when Wheeler is from Smyrna, Georgia and this year's Midsummer Classic is being played in Atlanta. 

It's a shame because whether or not Wheeler would have started, he's one of the game's best pitchers and you like to see those type of arms on the biggest stage. After tossing a complete game last Sunday, Wheeler is 9-3 with a 2.17 ERA and 3.8 WAR, which FanGraphs says trails only Tarik Skubal and Skenes. 

For Wheeler, this is his second consecutive selection to the All-Star Game that he won't pitch in. A year ago, he was voted to the All-Star Game but wasn't going to be able to pitch because he was in line to start on the Sunday before. Lower back tightness prevented Wheeler from even making that scheduled start, though it was never an issue after the All-Star Break. 

Barring the last-second addition of another Phillie, Kyle Schwarber will be the only representative of the Phillies the appears in the game. Cristopher Sánchez was an initial snub, and seemingly hasn't been added because he's scheduled to pitch Sunday. Meanwhile, both Trea Turner and Ranger Suárez, despite having compelling cases, also haven't been added to the senior circuit's roster. 

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