Read our story on the balloting format, which includes two phases of fan voting to determine the All-Star starters.
The All-Star Game is always special, with the game’s brightest stars -- spanning future Hall of Famers to up-and-coming phenoms -- gathering in one place.
As you fill out the 2025 MLB All-Star ballot, you’ll come across a host of familiar faces, players that are All-Star shoo-ins year after year. But don’t be fooled: A number of these household names actually haven’t been to the Midsummer Classic in at least two straight seasons.
Here are 10 veterans hoping to make their way back to the All-Star Game in 2025.
All stats are through Monday's games.
Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets
Last All-Star team: 2019
This feels like a typo, but Lindor hasn’t made an All-Star Game with the Mets, despite finishing inside the top 10 in NL MVP voting in each of the last three seasons -- including a second-place finish last year. That All-Star spell should come to an end soon, with Lindor off to an MVP-caliber start to fuel the NL-best Mets; it's a change of pace from recent years, when Lindor notably battled slow starts. Lindor’s 2.9 fWAR is the fourth most of any player in the National League, behind only Pete Crow-Armstrong, Shohei Ohtani, and Corbin Carroll. He ranks favorably among NL shortstops, too, leading the group in wRC+ (138), home runs (14), and slugging percentage (.488). Not even a broken toe can slow him down.
Jacob deGrom, SP, Rangers
Last All-Star team: 2021
deGrom is healthy again, and while he may look a little different, a healthy deGrom is still one of the best pitchers in baseball. In the three-year span from 2022-24, deGrom made just six starts in the first half of the season -- all coming in '23, before he underwent Tommy John surgery. This year, he’s already made 13 starts, with his 2.12 ERA ranking as the eighth-best mark in baseball, among qualified MLB pitchers. He’s one of the primary reasons why the Rangers rotation has pitched to a 2.90 ERA, the lowest in the American League.
Kyle Schwarber, DH, Phillies
Last All-Star team: 2022
Since the start of the 2023 season, only Ohtani and Aaron Judge have more home runs than Schwarber, one of the game’s elite power hitters. And yet, he hasn’t made the All-Star Game since ‘22, his first year with the Phillies. This year, in his age-32 season, Schwarber looks like the best version of himself. Per usual, he’s showcasing his prodigious power, with 20 home runs -- the second most of any player in the NL. But his overall production ranks among the game’s elite, too. His slugging percentage (.546), and wRC+ (157) all rank among the top 12 marks in the Majors.
Robbie Ray, SP, Giants
Last All-Star team: 2017
Ray didn’t even crack the All-Star team in 2021, when he won the AL Cy Young Award with the Blue Jays. How long ago was Ray’s last -- and only -- All-Star appearance? Well, the MVP of the 2017 All-Star Game was Robinson Canó, and the game took place at Marlins Park, with Miami’s young slugger -- Giancarlo Stanton -- anchoring the NL lineup. Ray, 33, certainly deserves to return to the Midsummer Classic this season. After two years all but lost due to Tommy John surgery, the left-hander is pitching like an ace for the Giants, posting an 8-1 record with a 2.44 ERA and a 10.1 K/9 rate.
Gleyber Torres, 2B, Tigers
Last All-Star team: 2019
A change of scenery has done wonders for Torres, who is thriving for the league-best Tigers. Still just 28 years old, Torres isn’t the power threat that he used to be, but that hasn’t hampered his overall production. His 127 wRC+ this season actually bests the 123 wRC+ that he posted in a two-year span from 2018-19, when he made the All-Star team in back-to-back years with the Yankees. Torres, who leads all qualified AL second basemen with a .775 OPS, seems well-positioned to contend for the starting nod at second base.
Manny Machado, 3B, Padres
Last All-Star team: 2022
Much like Lindor, it feels like Machado has been to the Midsummer Classic more recently than he actually has. Nevertheless, the six-time All-Star should be a slam dunk to make his seventh All-Star Game this July. Machado, 32, is having one of the best seasons of his accomplished career, running a .320/.382/516 slash line; he ranks in the top 20 in the Majors in all three statistics. He has a strong case to start, too, with his OPS (.898) and wRC+ (155) leading all qualified NL third basemen.
Edwin Díaz, RP, Mets
Last All-Star team: 2022
The trumpets are blaring again in Queens as Diaz looks like his vintage self -- reminiscent of his dominant campaign in ‘22. Diaz has posted a 2.39 ERA while converting 14 of 15 save opportunities for the first-place Mets. And he’s overwhelming hitters in typical Diaz fashion, too: He’s struck out 40 hitters in 26 ⅓ innings, with a 13.6 K/9 rate standing as the highest among qualified NL relievers. At one point in May, Diaz held the opposition in an 0-for-30 rut on his way to winning NL Reliever of the Month honors.
Carlos Rodón, SP, Yankees
Last All-Star team: 2022
Following back-to-back All-Star selections with the 2021 White Sox and '22 Giants, Rodón hasn’t quite lived up to expectations since signing a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees ahead of the '23 season. But he’s certainly pitching like an ace this year, his third in the Bronx. Rodón’s ERA (2.87), FIP (3.27) and K/9 ratio (10.9) are his best single-season marks with the Yankees. That success has come at an opportune time, amid a rash of injuries to the rotation. Plus, he’s only getting better as the season goes along: Rodón has pitched to a 1.90 ERA across his last 10 starts, a stretch that dates back to mid-April.
Byron Buxton, OF, Twins
Last All-Star team: 2022
The resurgent Twins are squarely back in the postseason race thanks in large part to Buxton. For the most part, the 31-year-old has been healthy -- he missed just two weeks with a concussion -- and a healthy Buxton is a wildly productive player. He’s one of 15 players in baseball with at least 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases this season, while his 120 wRC+ leads all qualified Twins players. On top of that, he’s played a consistently strong center field, with his +3 Outs Above Average ranking in the 90th percentile.
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Yankees
Last All-Star appearance: 2022
Part of the Yankees’ offseason pivot after losing out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the 37-year-old Goldschmidt looks like he’s dipped into the fountain of youth. He’s slashing .312/.369/.464, ranking among the top 15 in the Majors in both batting average and total hits (74). Goldschmidt has been to just one Midsummer Classic in the last seven years, after making six consecutive All-Star teams from 2013-18. He’s a good bet to make it back this year, in what’s shaping up to be his best season since his NL MVP campaign with the Cardinals in ‘22.