Nationals Now Have Three All-Stars After Their Breakout Ace Gets Selected
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The Washington Nationals already knew they would have two representatives at the 2026 All-Star Game, with CJ Abrams earning the starting shortstop honors for the National League while James Wood was selected as a reserve.
But now, a third National is going to join that star duo in Philadelphia for the Midsummer Classic.
Major League Baseball announced that left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin is set to replace Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft, who has decided to skip the All-Star Game after he threw 98 pitches during his outing on Saturday. Ashcraft originally was the replacement for his teammate, Paul Skenes, who is scheduled to pitch on Sunday.
"It's a huge honor," Griffin said, per MLB.com. "I'm super proud, super happy. I appreciate all the support from everybody – from my teammates, sports staff, front office."
Foster Griffin's MLB Comeback Has Been a Memorable One
Nobody -- Griffin included -- could have envisioned this for the left-hander after he signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal this past offseason to return to the states after he spent three seasons in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants.
While competing overseas, Griffin revamped his arsenal. That allowed him to post a 2.57 ERA across 54 outings and 315 2/3 innings pitched, which included a dominant season in 2025 that earned him a Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star selection. But despite the success he had in Japan, it wasn't a given that his success would translate back to the states. However, he has proven all the doubters wrong with what he's done in the first half of the season.
Griffin, 30, has an ERA of 2.77 with a 10-2 record across his 19 starts. His ERA puts him at No. 13 amongst all major league starting pitchers, and No. 8 in the National League. In addition to his low ERA, Griffin has struck out 109 batters with 26 walks over 110 1/3 innings pitched. He's also held opponents to a .210 batting average, and he has a WHIP of 1.02.
"We would be nowhere near where we are without Foster Griffin on this team. And I couldn't be happier for him," manager Blake Butera stated.
Nationals Now Have Three or More All-Stars for First Time Since 2021
With Griffin now getting the All-Star nod, the Nationals are set to have three representatives at the Midsummer Classic for the first time since 2021, when right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, outfielder Juan Soto and shortstop Trea Turner were selected.
That is a huge step in the right direction for this franchise, and it's not a coincidence that they are in the playoff mix during the first half of the season while they have three All-Stars on their roster.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai