# Seven Cubans Shine at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia

**Date:** 07/14/2026

Seven Cuban-born players are taking part this Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in the 96th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, home of the Phillies. It marks the second-highest Cuban representation in the history of the event.


The seven selections are Yordan Álvarez (Houston Astros), Andy Pagés (Los Angeles Dodgers), Aroldis Chapman (Boston Red Sox), Raisel Iglesias (Atlanta Braves), Randy Arozarena (Seattle Mariners), Yandy Díaz (Tampa Bay Rays) and Miguel Vargas (Chicago White Sox), representing five American League teams and two National League clubs. Three are first-time All-Stars — Pagés, Iglesias and Vargas — alongside veterans such as Álvarez, in his fourth appearance, Chapman, in his ninth, and Arozarena, in his third.


Álvarez, of the Astros, was voted the American League's starting designated hitter for his fourth All-Star appearance. The Las Tunas native is having an extraordinary season with 29 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .324 batting average over 89 games, positioning him as a frontrunner for American League MVP.


In the National League, Pagés, born in Havana, debuts as a starting outfielder for the Dodgers with a .269 average, 16 home runs and 62 RBIs in 88 games, joining a select group of Dodgers outfielders who started an All-Star Game before turning 26.


Among the relievers, Chapman, 38, now with the Boston Red Sox, earns his ninth All-Star nod, the most among active Cuban players, backed by a 2.10 ERA and 17 saves this season, and having recently set a new MLB record for strikeouts by a reliever, surpassing Hoyt Wilhelm's longstanding mark with 1,364 strikeouts.


Iglesias, of the Atlanta Braves, is making his All-Star debut after 12 years in the majors. The closer, who had earlier this season expressed doubt about ever making an All-Star team, posts a 1.53 ERA, 17 saves and an active streak of 35 consecutive saves — the longest active streak in MLB — in 2026.


Arozarena, an outfielder for the Seattle Mariners, is making his third All-Star appearance with a .287 average, nine home runs and 41 RBIs in 82 games, becoming the 15th player in franchise history with multiple All-Star selections. Díaz, who leads the American League with a .325 batting average, is attending his second All-Star Game as designated hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays. Vargas, son of Cuban baseball legend Lázaro Vargas, debuts as third baseman for the Chicago White Sox, posting 20 home runs, 56 RBIs and his best season since reaching the majors.


If Cuban-American Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds, born in Miami, is included, the number of players with Cuban roots at the event rises to eight, matching the historical record set in 2023.


(With information from MLB.com / CubaHeadlines / Yahoo Sports / The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)