Could San Francisco Giants Ace Make Long-Awaited Return to All-Star Game?

The former Cy Young winner could be representing the San Francisco Giants in Atlanta on his way back to the top of the MLB.

Jun 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (38) pitches the ball against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Oracle Park. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

When the San Francisco Giants traded for former American League Cy Young pitcher Robbie Ray before the 2024 season, they were taking a risk on his age and injury history.

That risk paid off, as the organization now has a centerpiece of what is one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB.

Ray, 33, is having an outstanding season with an ERA of 2.44 and WHIP of 1.07 with an 8-1 record and 87 strikeouts. His ERA and WHIP are the best of any current San Francisco starter.

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MLB.com's Jared Greenspan identified 10 veterans who could make it to the 2025 All-Star Game after spending some time away from it. Naturally, Ray was pinned as a strong candidate, having not made the team since 2017.

Yes, Ray did not even make the All-Star team when he won the Cy Young award in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays.

When he made the cut in 2017 with the Arizona DiamondBacks, he had a 2.89 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 216 strikeouts over 162.0 innings pitched.

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Ray returning to the team in Atlanta would be a wonderful story given his road to get there. He has been through several surgeries, including a flexor tendon injury that led to Tommy John surgery in 2023.

It's much easier to make an All-Star if your teammates are not having amazing years, making it easier to get in through the back door of every team needing representation.

That does not play here for Ray, especially on his side fo the diamond. Starter Logan Webb and reliever Randy Rodriguez are both having exceptional years and will be in strong consideration for spots on the team, giving less leeway for Ray to get in if other teams have to get their quotas filled.

Pitchers like the Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves or Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers, who are both on teams with not much competition to represent their ball clubs, could potentially push Ray out of the rotation. But his numbers speak for themselves and put him into strong consideration.

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