After the first half of the season, the MLB All-Star Game—also regarded as a mid-season celebration—is held in high anticipation. Ideally, it’s supposed to bring in the game’s most celebrated elite talents. So, when the Phillies’ $300 million star’s name was absent from the All-Stars’ name list, it stunned the clubhouse. And the one most disappointed was not the player himself, but manager Rob Thomson.

Entering Tuesday, Trea Turner held a .299 batting average with a .798 OPS and 22 stolen bases. On Sunday, Rob Thomson gathered all in the clubhouse and read the list. With Turner’s name not there, he had a candid reaction. “I’m certainly happy for Kyle and for Wheels. I’m a little disappointed we didn’t have more guys.” By ‘more guys,’ he was referring to Turner and pitchers Cristopher Sánchez & Ranger Suárez.

Turner, who has recorded a sprint speed of 30.2 feet per second, is placed among the fastest in the league. But upon knowing that he didn’t get in, he had a brutally honest take. “Shortstop’s a hard position to get in, especially with some of the younger guys now playing really well.” 

Interestingly, the Phillies clubhouse was more stunned than Turner himself. He admitted, “I think my teammates were a little more surprised than I was.” But Turner himself was surprised by Sánchez and Suárez’s absence.

“Honestly, I couldn’t believe Sánchy didn’t get in. And then I thought Ranger had a real shot as well.” Turner explained his reasoning as well. He believes that since the voting happened a few weeks ago, there must have been some major changes during that time.

Phillies’ All-Star presence shrinks this year

In comparison to 2024, the Phillies won’t have the same presence in the 2025 All-Star Game. Last year, the Phillies in total had eight players on the All-Star roster—three starters and five pitchers. Those eight were Bryce Harper, Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, and Zack Wheeler. But this time, only two players from Philadelphia will be featured: DH Kyle Schwarber and pitcher Zack Wheeler.

Wheeler is flying back for his third All-Star Game appearance. After all, the Cy Young candidate had an impressive first half. Across 116 innings, Wheeler stands 9-3, holding a 2.17 ERA over 18 starts. Coming to Schwarber, he made his first All-Star appearance back in 2022. In terms of home runs, he has surpassed Turner and Castellanos with 27 home runs this season.

Well, the possibility is still there that Turner, Suarez, or Sanchez can get recalled if any players from the All-Star game decide to drop out last minute for any reason. However, that’s unlikely to happen except for injury setbacks. Speaking of which, Chris Sale has been dealing with a fractured rib since early June. So, there is a teeny-tiny chance that one spot might be open for others.

Just in case that doesn’t happen, then all three wouldn’t mind taking the All-Star break as a breather.

⁣