Wheeler blasts All-Star scheduling rule after posting career-best numbers for Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler publicly criticized Major League Baseball's All-Star selection process on Tuesday, calling a rule tied to pitching schedules "kind of BS" after he was not included on the National League roster despite posting some of the strongest numbers of his career. The 2025 All-Star Game is scheduled to be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Wheeler's home ballpark.
Wheeler, 36, expressed frustration that his rotation slot - which would have him starting on Sunday, two days before the All-Star Game - effectively removed him from consideration for participation in the game itself. "It p----- me off. It's kind of BS," he told reporters. "Maybe if I wasn't necessarily right in there, I wouldn't be saying this, but I feel like I've earned it, and just because I pitch on a certain day, I can't pitch in the All-Star Game or even be there or get the recognition for it." He added that pitchers typically work only one inning in the Midsummer Classic, and that he throws a bullpen session on his second and third days of rest - meaning the schedule conflict was not, in his view, a meaningful obstacle to participation. judi mpl
The numbers support his case for selection. In 14 starts this season, Wheeler carries a 2.28 ERA across 87.0 innings pitched, with a 0.908 WHIP - both figures that would represent career bests. He returned to the Phillies rotation after missing the early weeks of the season recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that affects blood flow and nerve function in the shoulder region. On Tuesday, he struck out 14 Cincinnati Reds batters over seven innings of one-run ball. Among pitchers with at least 80 innings pitched this season, his ERA ranks sixth-lowest. He remains five innings short of formally qualifying for the ERA title, which requires one inning pitched per team game played.
According to a person familiar with the selection process, the majority of All-Star pitching spots are determined through a joint process between MLB and the MLB Players Association, in which players and coaches select five starting pitchers per league before MLB fills the remaining slots. Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Sánchez, Chris Sale, Chase Burns, and Paul Skenes were chosen through that process for the National League and American League rosters. It is not publicly confirmed whether pitching schedule availability formally excludes players from the initial ballot or only from active roster eligibility for the game itself. Additional reserves may still be added to the rosters, with availability for the game a factor in those decisions, leaving open the possibility that Wheeler could yet receive recognition.
