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Yoshinobu Yamamoto was named to the National League All-Star Team for the second consecutive season, but there’s a real question about whether he’ll actually take the mound in the exhibition. Per DodgerBlue.com, Yamamoto is in line to make one more start on Saturday, July 11, before the 2026 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15 — and that proximity could keep him from pitching in the Midsummer Classic.

Yamamoto has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League this season, which is why the All-Star selection was a no-brainer for a second straight year. The right-hander came over from Japan’s NPB ahead of the 2024 season on a massive 12-year deal with the Dodgers, and after navigating some shoulder trouble during his first year in the big leagues, he’s looked every bit the ace we expected him to be. His stuff — particularly that splitter — remains elite, and his ability to generate whiffs and limit hard contact has made him one of the most reliable arms in our rotation. Back-to-back All-Star nods are a testament to how quickly he’s established himself as one of the premier starters in baseball.

The scheduling issue here is straightforward. Pitching on Saturday gives Yamamoto just two days of rest before the All-Star Game on Tuesday. That’s not enough time to realistically ask him to go out and throw meaningful innings in an exhibition, especially for a pitcher the Dodgers are counting on heavily for the second half. Teams and players routinely navigate this — plenty of All-Stars have attended the game in an honorary capacity without actually pitching, and that could very well be the outcome here.

From our perspective, this is a non-issue in the grand scheme of things. I’d rather have Yamamoto fully rested and ready to roll for his first start after the break than risk anything — even the slightest bit of extra fatigue — for an exhibition game. The honor is the selection itself. If he ends up not pitching, it changes nothing about what he’s meant to this team. The Dodgers need him sharp and healthy for a second-half push, and that matters far more than a few innings at the All-Star Game. If anything, this just reinforces how important he is to what we’re trying to do — you don’t mess with your ace’s workload for a showcase.

Source(s): Staff (DodgerBlue.com) | First reported: July 9, 2026 2:19 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers