Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski was named to the All-Star Game as a replacement for Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd on Friday night. Misiorowski's selection was notable and surprising for the same reason: his designation came after just five big-league starts, setting him up to make history as the All-Star with the fewest previous games to his credit if he makes an appearance. (The 2025 All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday night at Truist Park in Cumberland, Georgia.)

2025 MLB All-Star Game rosters: Jacob Misiorowski, Paul Skenes, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and more join teams

R.J. Anderson

Predictably, it was also an unpopular decision in one particular clubhouse. The Philadelphia Phillies have two southpaws who they feel merited inclusion instead: Cristopher Sánchez (165 ERA+ in 18 starts) and Ranger Suárez (221 ERA+ in 13 starts). The Phillies weren't afraid to say as much, either.

"What a joke," shortstop Trea Turner told The Athletic. "That's f---ing terrible. I mean, that's terrible, dude."

"If he's not an All-Star then no one is," Turner added.

It should be noted that Suárez revealed that MLB had offered him a spot in the All-Star Game, but that the league requires replacement pitchers to be OK with throwing an inning -- otherwise, there would be even more All-Stars on paper, as the league continued to name pitchers until they found enough to fill out a game's worth of innings. Suárez, though, declined the invitation because he wanted to use the break to rest and recharge for the second half. That's perfectly reasonable on his part, but there's not much more the league could do given the logistics at play. 

As for Sánchez, The Athletic originally cited a major-league source who claimed that he, too, opted against partaking, given that he's slated to start Sunday's contest against the San Diego Padres. Sánchez's agent has since told The Athletic that he's "willing to pitch no matter what." It's unclear what caused the disconnect or whether there's time and space to resolve it. Sánchez has a financial incentive for wanting the All-Star designation: he'll make $200,000 if he's named to the squad. 

As for Misiorowski, it does feel a little premature to name him to the Midsummer Classic after just five (admittedly very good) outings. At the same time, it's easy to envision this being viewed as a situation where the All-Star Game would serve as a showcase event for a star on the rise.