The Atlanta Braves have plenty of obvious All-Star cases on the position-player side, but the pitching staff deserves its own roll call. Atlanta’s rotation has dealt with injuries, inconsistency, and the usual midseason weirdness that turns every bullpen game into a minor emergency. Through all of that, several Braves arms have given the club exactly what a contender needs: stability, late-inning violence, and enough swing-and-miss to make opposing lineups miserable.
Among Braves starters, Chris Sale should be the easiest call. While Bryce Elder is experiencing a bounce-back campaign, his recent struggles mean he doesn’t quite qualify for this list.
Among relievers, Dylan Lee has turned himself into one of the best left-handed relief men in baseball. Robert Suarez has been absurdly good in a setup role that undersells how dominant he has been. Raisel Iglesias has done almost everything a closer can do short of personally hand-delivering the All-Star ballot to the league office.
Here are four Braves pitchers who should be headed to the All-Star Game.
Chris Sale
At this point, Chris Sale making an All-Star team should feel routine. The impressive part is that, at 37, he has made it feel earned rather than ceremonial. Sale has been Atlanta’s clearest rotation anchor, carrying an 8-5 record, a 2.14 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts over 84 innings.
The strikeouts are still there, which matters because Sale without punchouts would be like a haunted house with the lights on. The fastball-slider combination still creates uncomfortable at-bats, and he has done it while giving Atlanta real depth. In a year when the Braves have had to patch together too many pitching questions, Sale has provided the kind of start that keeps the bullpen from being overly taxed every fifth day.
His case also holds up beyond the basic numbers. Sale’s 2.71 FIP and 28.9% strikeout rate show that good vibes and Gold Glove-caliber defense are not simply holding the performance together. He has been one of the National League’s best starters, and if the All-Star Game is still meant to reward first-half performance, he belongs comfortably in the picture.
Dylan Lee
Dylan Lee’s All-Star case is the kind that can get buried because he does not have the closer role attached to his name, but overlooking Lee’s incredible 2026 season so far would be a major mistake. Lee has been one of Atlanta’s most valuable relievers, posting a 1.04 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .142 against him, which is a testament to his tremendous ability to get batters out – no matter what.
The lefty has moved well beyond matchup-specialist territory. He has been trusted in real leverage spots, against hitters from both sides, and he has rewarded that trust with the best season of his career. His command has been excellent, with only a minuscule five walks, and his 33.3% strikeout rate gives Atlanta a legitimate weapon before the late-inning hammer drops.
Relievers often need a flashy role to get All-Star attention, but Lee’s numbers are plenty loud. A 1.49 FIP backs up the ERA, and his 1.2 FanGraphs WAR leads Atlanta’s bullpen. Beyond that, Lee’s 1.04 ERA is fifth among relievers in FanGraphs ERA, but that number is not just luck. In fact, Lee’s 1.86 xERA is second only to Mason Miller across the entire MLB.
As such, Lee surely belongs at the All-Star game as a major talisman representing the Braves’ early success in the 2026 season.
Robert Suarez
Robert Suarez came to Atlanta with the résumé of a closer, and he has pitched like one even while working ahead of Iglesias. That is probably the only reason his All-Star case is not being screamed about more often. Suarez has a 0.56 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, and only two earned runs allowed through 32 innings. Read those statistics again—just bonkers.
He has also given the Braves exactly what they paid for: power, calm, and shutdown innings before the ninth. Suarez has four wins, four saves, and has allowed just 21 hits while holding opponents to a .184 average. The strikeout total is not quite as cartoonish as Lee’s, but the overall run prevention has been elite, and his walk rate remains firmly under control.
The All-Star Game should have room for a setup boogeyman, especially when such a monster would be closing for plenty of other teams. Suarez has been one of the biggest reasons Atlanta can shorten games so effectively. Once the Braves get a lead in the late innings, a win often seems like a foregone conclusion.
Raisel Iglesias
Raisel Iglesias’ All-Star case has two parts. The first is simple: he has been excellent this season. Iglesias owns a 1.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 29 strikeouts, and 15 saves in 15 chances. Perfect in save opportunities, stingy with runs, and still missing bats: that is the closer checklist, and he has been checking every box with a King Size Sharpie (though he did give up a walk-off hit to the Padres on June 23).
The second part is a little more ridiculous. With 268 of them, Iglesias holds the record for most career saves by a pitcher who has never made an All-Star team. He passed former Braves reliever Gene Garber, who finished with 218 saves and zero All-Star appearances.
This year is the cleanest chance to fix it. Iglesias has been automatic at the back end of a top contender’s bullpen, and the Braves have leaned on him in exactly the role voters and managers usually reward. There is no need to overthink it. If a closer with his career track record, perfect save conversion rate, and sub-2.00 ERA cannot get picked now, then the All-Star process is missing something obvious.
These Braves Pitchers Deserve Their All-Star Moment
Atlanta may not get all four of these pitchers into the Midsummer Classic. All-Star roster math can be cruel, and every team needs representation. Still, the argument is there for these Braves pitchers. Sale has pitched like an ace. Lee has been the bullpen’s most valuable arm. Suarez has been one of the league’s nastiest setup men. Iglesias has combined current dominance with a career snub that has gone on long enough.
The Braves’ potent offense will always grab the attention first, but the team’s pitching staff has more than earned its share of the All-Star spotlight.
Main Photo Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
