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ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Red Sox had two left-handed pitchers — closer Aroldis Chapman and starter Ranger Suarez — chosen as members of the 2026 American League All-Star team Saturday night.
Curiously, standout newcomers Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras — who have performed well after coming to Boston in offseason trades with St. Louis — were left off the roster.
Chapman is an All-Star for the ninth time, having been selected via player balloting. Suarez is a second-time All-Star — though he was injured at the time and didn’t participate — and was a pick of Major League Baseball and the Commissioner’s Office.
Chapman, who made baseball history Friday night by becoming the all-time leader in strikeouts by a reliever, was an obvious choice, as he was a year ago when he was also selected. Chapman had a 2.10 ERA and 17 saves heading into Saturday’s game against the Angels.
“Happy,” said Chapman when asked his reaction. “It’s been a really good first half for me, I think. The last couple of weeks have had some tough outings, but we’re sticking with it. But overall, just really happy to represent. ”
Suarez, however, was something of a surprise pick, especially considering the season Gray is having. Suarez is having a strong season to be sure — he owns a 2.94 ERA to go with a 1.128 WHIP. But he has a 4-3 record.
“I’m happy, excited and proud to represent the Red Sox in the All-Star Game,” said Suarez. “We all know my history (in Philadelphia) with my former team, but I think the most important thing is to go there and enjoy it. That’s the main thing.”
Gray and Contreras might be named as replacements for players who were selected but can’t participate. Starting pitchers are often added to the All-Star teams in the week leading up to the event as other pitchers are deemed ineligible due to when they pitch for their teams. Contreras fell short behind starter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and reserves Nick Kurtz and Ben Rice. Guerrero already has said he will not participate in an effort to rest a sore back, meaning a replacement — like Contreras, the White Sox’ Munetaka Murakami or Baltimore’s Pete Alonso — will take his place.
Center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who has had a strong first half offensively, is also an outside candidate to make the roster with the Angels’ Mike Trout and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge both out due to injury. Judge will be out but Trout, who grew up near Philadelphia, hopes to play.
Gray sports a lower ERA (2.69) and a slightly lower WHIP (1.112) than Suarez — to say nothing of six more wins — heading into his outing Saturday night. Entering their starts this weekend — Gray pitches Saturday and Suarez on Sunday against the Angels — Suarez has logged five more innings (88 ⅔) than Gray (83 ⅔). Gray missed two weeks in late April with a hamstring strain.
Suarez was also an All-Star choice in 2024. This year, the game is being held at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia, representing a baseball homecoming for Suarez, who spent his first eight seasons pitching for the Phillies.
For Chapman, it’s the second All-Star selection in as many years. Before 2025, he was last an All-Star in 2021 as a member of the Yankees.
“Everyone knows that I’m 38,” said Chapman, “and some might say that I’m reaching the end of my career. So I’m just going to enjoy it and enjoy it as much as I can because you never know if this is going to be the last time that I get selected.”
Chapman credited his private pitching coach/trainer for the work he does in the offseason with maintaining his level of performance at an advanced age.
“The amount of work that I’ve been putting in the last couple of offseasons has been a lot,” said Chapman. “They’re really tough workouts so these results are kind of thanks to him and the amount of work we put in together. Being selected, I kind of dedicate it to him, too.”
Both Chapman and Suarez joined the Red Sox as free agents, with Chapman signing a one-year deal prior to 2025 and Suarez, who got a five-year, $130 million deal, serving as Craig Breslow’s top free agent acquisition before this season.
Chapman enjoyed one of his best seasons last year, converted all but two of his 34 save chances while posting an absurdly low 0.701 WHIP. This year, Chapman hasn’t been quite so dominant, though he remains among the league leaders in saves. He’s also been prominently mentioned as a potential trade candidate next month should the Red Sox decide to sell rather than buy at the deadline.
Suarez began the year poorly after signing in January, the result of not sufficiently building up arm strength with a stint in the World Baseball Classic, pitching for his native Venezuela. Still, after a few rocky starts in the early going, he’s routinely kept the Red Sox in games and since April 11, he’s pitching to a 2.35 ERA.
Three former Red Sox pitchers were named All-Stars on Sunday. Kansas City’s Michael Wacha will represent the American League. Two National League lefties — Arizona’s Eduardo Rodriguez (for the first time) and Atlanta’s Chris Sale (for the 10th time) — made it, too.
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