The Atlanta Braves were well represented when the 2026 All-Star rosters were announced, with Chris Sale, Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin and Raisel Iglesias all earning spots. That is a strong showing for any team, and it reflects how much has gone right in Atlanta’s first half. It still does not feel like the team full first-half story, though.
For a team that has spent most of the season looking like one of the National League’s most complete teams with a plethora of MVP candidates, the Braves had more than five legitimate All-Star cases. Dylan Lee, Michael Harris II and Robert Suarez all played at that level before the break, even if roster math, positional crowding and the usual All-Star politics kept them out.
Snubbed Braves
Dylan Lee
Lee has been the kind of reliever who often gets squeezed out of these conversations, not because the case is weak, but because his role does not come with the clean All-Star shorthand of tons of saves, ninth-inning entrances or national name recognition.
That is a mistake. Lee has not merely been one of Atlanta’s best relievers. He has been one of the best relievers in baseball. FanGraphs currently has him as the Braves’ top bullpen arm by WAR, ahead of both Robert Suarez and All-Star closer Raisel Iglesias. His 1.30 ERA, 1.42 FIP, 34.0% strikeout rate and 3.0% walk rate are not just impressive in isolation; they place him firmly in the upper tier of major-league relievers.
The broader leaderboard makes the omission look even stranger. Lee ranks fourth among MLB relievers in fWAR and sixth in RA9-WAR, which strips away most of the “middle relievers never make it” excuse. If the All-Star Game is supposed to reward first-half performance, a reliever sitting that high on the leaderboards should not need a save total to validate his case.
Dylan Lee’s 3Ks in the 6th pic.twitter.com/zI3KSHd7An
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 5, 2026
Lee’s season has also passed the eye test. He is not doing this with some cartoonish 101-mph fastball that makes highlight editors drool onto their laptops. He is doing it the Dylan Lee way: angle, deception, command and the unsettling ability to make very good hitters look like they were swinging a broken twig. His recent work against the Mets was a perfect snapshot. Starter Chris Sale ran into trouble, the game started getting itchy, and Lee entered to strike out three straight hitters and end the inning before it could turn into a bullpen trauma exercise.
That matters. All-Star spots should not only be awarded to closers with lofty save totals and memorable entrance songs. Lee has been trusted in the uncomfortable pockets of games, the moments when one swing changes the temperature of a ballpark – and he has been elite in those spots. Leaving Lee out of the All-Star game is an oversight among voters and those that choose the All-Star reserves – simple as that.
Michael Harris II
Harris’ case is different, because he had the burden of making people forget how strange and uneven his 2025 season became. He has done that, then some.
FanGraphs has Harris hitting .302/.335/.505 with 16 home runs, a .362 wOBA, 128 wRC+ and 2.3 WAR. He also has positive defensive value in center field, with five defensive runs saved and strong overall defensive marks. In normal human terms, he has been a power-hitting, average-carrying, run-preventing center fielder on a first-place team. That should be enough.
On the board!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/p5PbwPwcCa
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 6, 2026
Instead, Harris got caught in the usual All-Star traffic jam, where outfield spots are scarce and reputation still tends to arrive at the party before actual current-season performance. That is unfortunate, because Harris has been one of Atlanta’s most complete players.
The anecdotal evidence has been just as convincing as the numbers. He homered against the Mets during Atlanta’s 5-3 win, made a key first-inning defensive play to prevent extra bases and has repeatedly been the kind of player whose fingerprints show up in every part of a game. Even the bizarre, wonderful moment with the England national football team supporters at Truist Park became a Harris showcase. The fans came from another sport, adopted him in center field, and somehow still landed on the right guy. Baseball’s coming home, apparently, so long as home is nestled in the Braves’ center fielder’s welcoming glove.
Robert Suarez
Suarez’s omission feels like a victim of role confusion and Atlanta’s own bullpen depth. Iglesias made it, deservedly, but Suarez had a robust All-Star argument of his own. Through 32 innings, Suarez has a 0.56 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 0.28 HR/9, 5.0% walk rate and a nearly absurd 97.7% strand rate. He has not just limited damage; he completely shuts down opposing offenses.
Suarez does not have Lee’s strikeout rate, but that almost makes the season more interesting despite his current injury. He has been surviving with command, weak contact and veteran calm, the baseball equivalent of walking through a kitchen fire while calmly asking where the coriander is. His 47.1% ground-ball rate gives Atlanta a different late-inning texture, and his ability to avoid home runs has been massive for a bullpen that has had to cover a plethora of stressful innings.
On the board!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/p5PbwPwcCa
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 6, 2026
In another bullpen, Suarez might be the obvious All-Star. In Atlanta’s, he is sharing oxygen with Iglesias and Lee, which is a nice problem for Walt Weiss and a miserable one for roster politics. The league rewarded one Braves reliever. It probably should have rewarded three.
Maybe Next Year
There are always controversies surrounding All-Star selections, as hometown fans often skew voting results toward fan favorites. Ultimately, All-Star rosters are not built to recognize every deserving player, and someone always gets shoved into the unfortunate “great first half, not enough roster spots” category. Still, Lee, Harris and Suarez were not fringe sentimental picks. They were legitimate All-Star-caliber performers on a contender, backed by production, role value and plenty of in-game evidence.
The Braves got five All-Stars, which was tied for the most among teams with the Dodgers and Phillies. However, they probably deserved eight. That sounds greedy until you actually look at the numbers.
Main Photo: Brett Davis- Imagn Images
