Figuring out Astros players worthy of All-Star nod is tricky except in one obvious case

It's that time of year when All-Star voting begins, and for the Houston Astros, their representative is clear. While many on the national scene developed amnesia regarding how good Yordan Alvarez really is after his injury-ravaged 2025 season, the 29-year-old slugger is on a tear and reminding folks to never underestimate him again.

Alvarez is now leading the American League in all three Triple Crown categories, and entered play on June 6, leading the majors in wRC+ while placing second in fWAR, trailing Bobby Witt Jr.'s 3.8 mark with a 3.2 mark of his own.

With Yankees slugger and three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge going down for the foreseeable future with a rib fracture, one of Alvarez's prime threats for the 2026 award, meaning he has his sights set much higher than simply appearing in the Midsummer Classic.

However, when it comes to the question of whether or not Houston will have any other representatives in the exhibition, things get dicey. Injury and underperformance have been chronic issues up and down the roster. It might leave Alvarez as the Astros' sole representative, though one other player might be able to make a case.

After Yordan Alvarez, Spencer Arrighetti is the only Astros player who might be able to make a case for the All-Star Game

While some might believe that Christian Walker's resurgent year might get him into the conversation, the fact of the matter is that the American League is stacked at first base. Yankees slugger Ben Rice, another potential MVP candidate, and Nick Kurtz of the Athletics are shoo-ins at the position. Beyond them, there are also guys like Willson Contreras and Jonathan Aranda who have produced similarly to Walker.

Instead, Spencer Arrighetti and his sparkling 1.94 ERA could make a push, but there are a couple of factors that stand in the right-hander's way. While he won AL Pitcher of the Month for May, it wasn't until May that he began getting the recognition that his performance deserved.

That's because the Astros optioned Arrighetti to Sugar Land coming out of spring training, with the original plan being that he'd be the club's sixth starter. That wasn't something that was needed until April 15, so the 26-year-old got Triple-A reps to keep loose.

Given the struggles Houston's rotation had early on, it isn't a ringing endorsement of Arrighetti that his own club didn't realize he was one of its five best starters, given the rotation's early-season struggles.

Add in the fact that Arrighetti's peripherals -- a 4.96 xERA, 4.19 FIP, and 4.94 xFIP -- paint a wildly different picture of his performance than his actual results do, and there may be some trepidation from more analytics-driven voters. His most recent start, a four-inning four-run affair on June 3 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, was his worst showing of 2026 and could be an indication that his luck is running out.

What is for sure is that Alvarez's out-of-this-world performance will get him in easily, but the once-mighty Astros probably send him alone to Philadelphia, as the aging and injured unit is a far cry from its days as an All-Star-laden perennial juggernaut.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow