​Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski is turning 26 on Tuesday, and by the time the day arrives he’ll have even more reason to celebrate, because he’s headed to Philadelphia as a member of the National League All-Star team. Wrobleski was added to the All-Star roster on Saturday to fill the spot created when Reds pitcher Chase Burns won’t be available to pitch on Tuesday. It’s been a breakout season for Wrobleski, who has flourished in a hybrid role across parts of the last two years in the majors. Through 16 games, including 15 starts, he has posted a 2.69 ERA and a 4.12 xERA, with 73 strikeouts and 20 walks over 100 1/3 innings.
After making his season debut with a bulk relief appearance on March 30, Wrobleski has emerged as one of the league’s more efficient workhorses, averaging 6.42 innings per start, which ranks him among the leaders in that category, and he sits 12th in ERA. The journey to this point has included a few twists. Last Tuesday, with several starters unavailable—Jacob Misiorowski, Paul Skenes, and reliever Max Meyer among them—the NL All-Star roster received reinforcements in the form of Braxton Ashcraft, Jesús Luzardo, and Riley O’Brien. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had pressed for Wrobleski to receive a nod, speaking openly about the frustration of being passed over in previous discussions about the midseason exhibition.
From The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, Wrobleski reflected on his ambitions and the recent news: “You want to be an All-Star. It’s something that, regardless of the year, whenever, it’s always a big deal. It’s something I wanted to do. It’s frustrating to not get that nod.” Now that he’s earned the invitation, Wrobleski joins a select group: he’s only the fifth Dodgers starting pitcher to reach the All-Star stage at age 25 or younger this century. The previous examples in that exclusive club include Odalis Pérez (2002) and Justin Wrobleski (2025), per Baseball Reference.
Wrobleski’s selection marks him as the sixth Dodgers player named an All-Star this season. In addition to Wrobleski’s forthcoming appearance, several teammates are already in the spotlight: Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Andy Pages will be in the starting lineup with manager Dave Roberts steering the club. On the roster, Shohei Ohtani was voted to start at designated hitter, but he will be resting and undergoing treatment on his left knee after being scratched from his Friday pitching start. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is slated to start for the Dodgers on Saturday night, was also named an All-Star, underscoring how this roster looks to be one of the strongest in recent memory for Los Angeles.