Braxton Ashcraft named to NL All-Star team as Pirates rep
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft was named to the National League All-Star team on Tuesday as a replacement for teammate Paul Skenes. Ashcraft earns his first Midsummer Classic nod in his second major league season after posting a 9-3 record, 3.24 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 18 starts—a breakthrough Pittsburgh fans and local analysts had been calling for since initial roster picks were announced.
Key Takeaways
- Braxton Ashcraft joined the NL All-Star roster Tuesday as Paul Skenes’ replacement for the July 14 game in Philadelphia.
- Ashcraft is 9-3 with a 3.24 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 122 strikeouts across 18 starts in 2026.
- Skenes was Pittsburgh’s original All-Star pick but said he will attend without pitching due to his schedule.
- Local columns argued Ashcraft outpaced Skenes on the mound this season and that MLB undersold the Pirates’ roster.
- The Pirates sit 46-45, three games back of the final National League wild-card spot entering the break.
Why was Braxton Ashcraft named to the NL All-Star team?
According to WTAE, Ashcraft was added Tuesday as a replacement on the National League roster for the 2026 All-Star Game. Skenes, who was originally selected to represent Pittsburgh, said he will attend the event but will not pitch.
That opened the door for Ashcraft, whose first-half numbers made him one of the most debated omissions when All-Star rosters were unveiled. In a July 6 column for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Noah Hiles argued that MLB missed the mark with the Pirates’ All-Star selections—setting up the buzz that finally landed Ashcraft on the roster days later.
How does Ashcraft’s 2026 season compare to Paul Skenes?
TribLIVE columnist Tim Benz wrote on July 7 that if the Pirates were going to send a starting pitcher to Philadelphia, it should have been Ashcraft. At the time of the initial nominations, Ashcraft held a better record (9-3 vs. 6-8), ERA (3.24 vs. 3.62), quality starts (10 vs. 8), strikeouts (122 vs. 119) and innings pitched (108.1 vs. 97).
Benz noted that does not mean Ashcraft is the better pitcher long term—Skenes is a Cy Young winner—but that Ashcraft has been Pittsburgh’s most consistent starter in 2026. WTAE reported the 26-year-old right-hander also carries a 1.10 WHIP through 18 starts, cementing his case as a legitimate All-Star, not just a fill-in name.
What does this mean for the Pittsburgh Pirates?
For a franchise fighting to stay in the postseason picture, the All-Star spotlight carries real weight. Benz pointed out the Pirates were 46-45 and three games behind the Miami Marlins for the last NL wild-card slot, with St. Louis, Washington, Arizona and San Diego also in the mix.
Meanwhile, Skenes entered his final pre-break starts needing to rebound from a brutal stretch: Pittsburgh lost all nine of his last nine starts, with Skenes going 0-6 and posting a 5.36 ERA over that span. Having Ashcraft represent the club in Philadelphia gives Pittsburgh a celebrity breaking news moment that matches what the rotation has actually delivered.
When and where is the 2026 All-Star Game?
The Midsummer Classic is set for Tuesday, July 14, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, home of the Phillies. Ashcraft will make his first All-Star appearance there while Skenes, still an All-Star by selection, watches from the sidelines because of his pitching schedule.
For Pirates fans, it closes a week of loud debate over who deserved Pittsburgh’s spot. Ashcraft’s name on the roster does not settle every argument about snubbed teammates, but it answers the biggest one: the pitcher leading the staff got his turn under the lights.