WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Shortstop Otto Lopez and right-hander Max Meyer earned their first All-Star selections Saturday, giving the Miami Marlins multiple representatives at the Midsummer Classic for the first time since 2023, when second baseman Luis Arraez and designated hitter Jorge Soler made the team.
Lopez, 27, leads the majors with a .341 batting average, 120 hits and 38 multihit performances through 88 games. He also leads all MLB shortstops with 24 doubles and five triples. He was elected via the players’ ballot and will serve as a reserve at the 2026 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Lopez’s selection caps one of the more improbable journeys in the sport. He was designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants in 2024 while playing for Triple-A Sacramento, with just nine MLB games and 11 plate appearances on his resume. Miami claimed him off waivers on April 4, 2024. Learning of his All-Star nod at the same ballpark where he was cut was not lost on Lopez.
“This is the team that DFA’d me, and now I became an All-Star in the same place,” Lopez said. “It’s a good story I would say.”
Lopez becomes the fourth shortstop in franchise history to make the All-Star team, joining Hanley Ramirez (2008-10), Alex Gonzalez (1999) and Edgar Renteria (1998).
Meyer, also 27, is the first Marlins starting pitcher named an All-Star since Sandy Alcantara’s 2022 NL Cy Young Award-winning campaign. Once a consensus top prospect whose career was derailed by injuries in each of his MLB seasons since his 2022 debut, Meyer matched a single-season franchise record with nine straight wins before taking his first loss last week. He entered Sunday with a 2.53 ERA, 103 innings pitched, 112 strikeouts and a 2.3 fWAR — all ranking among the top eight in the National League.
“It’s pretty special,” Meyer said. “Just kind of looking back at my career, a lot of injuries. I’m glad that it doesn’t really feel like a personal award, because I have so many staff members that are always pulling for me, and the day-to-day stuff that just keeps me on the field and keeps me feeling good with all the boys, being so fun to be around. It feels special.”
Manager Clayton McCullough said the selections reflect the organization president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has built. “This is our team. Just in general, guys can come and make a mark as a player in this league from a lot of different backgrounds and a lot of different paths,” McCullough said. “It’s not always linear, and certainly not easy, and you look around our roster and the players that Peter has acquired, and the players that are here that have gotten better. Those two and their stories kind of speak to a lot of what we are.”
Lopez and Meyer are among 26 first-time All-Stars across both leagues this year. The 96th Midsummer Classic is set for July 14 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, with the Marlins firmly in the National League postseason picture at the midway point of the season.