Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. earns first starting nod for MLB All-Star Game
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Witt made his third All-Star appearance but earned his first start.
- Witt leads the American League with a 4.8 bWAR and has a .290 average in 82 games.
- The 2026 All-Star Game is scheduled for July 14 at Citizens Bank Park and will air on FOX.
Bobby Witt Jr. will represent the Kansas City Royals in the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
And this time, he will do so as a starter.
Witt, 26, was selected by a fan vote for the July 14 game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. He will be making his third consecutive appearance in the Midsummer Classic after two stints as an All-Star reserve.
“It’s an honor just being able to get this opportunity,” Witt said. “And then I’m just thankful for all the fans and everyone who voted in this situation. It’s amazing. And being able to share it with teammates was great.”
MLB announced the All-Star Game rosters on Saturday. Witt earned more votes than Toronto Blue Jays standout Andrés Giménez. As a result, Witt will start at shortstop during the annual showcase.
During the voting process, Witt received key updates from his parents as they kept track of the ever-changing ballot.
“I just went based off what my mom was saying,” Witt said. “I didn’t really look at it at all. She was saying, ‘Oh, you’re leading in the vote,’ and this and that.”
This season, Witt owns a .290 batting average with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs in 82 games. He leads all AL players with a 4.8 bWAR (Baseball Reference’s Wins Above Replacement) despite missing six games with a right-knee sprain.
Witt will be the third Royals shortstop to start an All-Star Game, joining Freddie Patek (1978) and Alcides Escobar (2015).
“It’s an honor to be able to get announced in the starting lineup,” Witt said.
It’s been a difficult year for the Royals, but Witt has produced many memorable moments in the first half of the 2026 season.
On May 9, he hit an inside-the-park home run against the Detroit Tigers. He raced around the bases in 14.13 seconds — the fourth fastest home-to-home time in the Statcast Era.
Later, Witt eclipsed 800 career hits and 400 RBIs. He also leads the AL with 29 stolen bases in 33 attempts.
“Those are the guys you want other people to emulate,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
So now Witt returns to the national stage. He starred in the 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby and the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Most evaluators list Witt among the top young superstars in the game.
There’s also a chance Witt garners MVP consideration. He is in the mix alongside fellow AL All-Stars Yordan Alvarez and Junior Caminero, among others.
“Everyone was fired up, which is awesome,” Witt said of the All-Star reception. “And it’s always great to see smiles on the guys’ faces. And like I said, it’s great, but now you move on and get ready for the game.”
Witt has done it all during his short All-Star career. The only things left would be earning All-Star Game MVP honors and winning the Home Run Derby.
Witt was noncommittal about potentially participating in the Home Run Derby again in the future.
“Probably not,” Witt said of possibly taking part this year. “I would do it again eventually, maybe, at some point. But probably not this year.”
Teammate Michael Wacha, the club’s steady right-handed starting pitcher, was also named to the AL All-Star squad on Saturday. It will be Wacha’s first All-Star appearance since 2015, when he garnered the honor with the St. Louis Cardinals.
This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. earns first starting nod for MLB All-Star Game."
