For MLB fans and video game lovers, having an image of a player like Shohei Ohtani on the cover of MLB The Show 22 helped Sony Interactive Entertainment and San Diego Studio have a successful marketing campaign and strong sales figures (over 2 million units sold). Now, all that has changed with the companies’ recent decisions regarding MLB The Show 26, especially regarding players like Juan Soto, Bobby Witt Jr., Tarik Skubal, and Cal Raleigh.

MLB The Show 26 will not feature Juan Soto, Bobby Witt Jr., Tarik Skubal, Cal Raleigh, or any other new player on the cover, following San Diego Studios’ decision to move forward without a cover athlete for this year’s release.

In an official message to fans, the developers stated, “To our MLB The Show Community: First off, we at San Diego Studios want to thank you, the MLB The Show Community, for your continued support and feedback. We know you are just as excited as we are for the release of MLB The Show ’26, so we wanted to let everyone know that this year, we have decided not to have a new cover athlete. Please stay tuned to all of our social channels for more information to come.”

This confirms that the absence of a cover star is not tied to any individual player but reflects a broader policy decision for the 2026 edition, with the game opting not to feature a new athlete on its cover.

The move marks a clear departure from the franchise’s two-decade tradition of showcasing a cover athlete, which began in 2006 with David Ortiz and continued through 2025 with Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson.

While the reasoning has not been fully detailed, the decision suggests the developers may be experimenting with a new or unconventional cover concept, potentially saving the reveal as a surprise closer to launch.

That said, the announcement effectively rules out even top performers from consideration. Despite an outstanding season, Juan Soto will not appear on the cover, finishing the year with career highs that included 43 home runs across 160 games, a top-seven MLB ranking, and entry into the 30–30 club during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, becoming just the fifth player in Mets history to do so.

Lastly, he became the NL stolen base leader with 38 steals. However, even such a performance could not help him become the cover athlete for MLB The Show 26.

However, it is not only Juan Soto who got snubbed as a cover athlete in a video game.

Bobby Witt Jr. misses out on being the cover athlete on MLB The Show once again this year. He faced the same issue in 2025 because Sony wanted to focus on younger stars. Talking about his performance, Witt Jr. hit his 100th career home run during a game against the Texas Rangers last August.

With that, he became the fourth player in MLB history to record 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases in his first four MLB seasons. Apart from that, he also won the Platinum Glove last season. He ended the season with 23 home runs and 38 stolen bases in 157 games.

Tarik Skubal joins Juan Soto and Bobby Witt Jr. in missing out on being a cover athlete for MLB The Show 2026, despite being rumored to be the cover athlete earlier. While he might have missed out on being a cover athlete, his performance last season speaks otherwise. His elite pitching skills were on display as he struck out a career-high 14 batters and helped the Detroit Tigers secure a 2–1 win against the Cleveland Guardians in AL Wild Card Series Game 1 last September. In total, Skubal struck out 241 batters in 195.1 innings throughout the season.

Cal Raleigh is the final player to miss out on being a cover athlete on MLB The Show 26. However, Big Dumper kept up his consistency and delivered another impressive performance last season. He hit his 60th home run during a game against the Colorado Rockies last September. With that, he became the seventh MLB player to hit 60 home runs in a single season, joining Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, and Aaron Judge. He also led the AL in home runs (60) and RBIs (125) at the end of the season.

Notably, none of these four MLB stars has appeared on the cover of an MLB The Show game before. That said, featuring any of these stars would have been better, as it would have further increased their popularity after last season. More video gamers would have become aware of these players, while MLB would have gained new potential viewers.

While MLB The Show will not have a new cover athlete, it is time to take a look at all those who have graced the game covers in the past.

MLB The Show’s previous athletes list

Sony Interactive Entertainment and San Diego Studio are all set to release the 21st iteration of MLB The Show this year. Notably, several former and current stars have graced the covers of these games from 2006 to 2025.  Let’s have a look at who they are.

• 2006 – David Ortiz
• 2007 – David Wright
• 2008 – Ryan Howard
• 2009 – Dustin Pedroia
• 2010 – Joe Mauer
• 2011 – Joe Mauer
• 2012 – Adrian Gonzalez
• 2013 – Andrew McCutchen
• 2014 – Miguel Cabrera
• 2015 – Yasiel Puig
• 2016 – Josh Donaldson
• 2017 – Ken Griffey Jr.
• 2018 – Aaron Judge
• 2019 – Bryce Harper
• 2020 – Javier Baez
• 2021 – Fernando Tatis Jr.
• 2022 – Shohei Ohtani
• 2023 – Jazz Chisholm Jr.
• 2024 – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• 2025 – Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson

While MLB The Show will not have a cover athlete this year, the only thing left to see is whether they follow this new trend next year or bring back cover athletes in the game.