White Sox Snubbed? Miguel Vargas Lone Player Named All-Star
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As America celebrates its 250th birthday, the All-Star Game rosters were released. And the Chicago White Sox got quite the surprise. Only one of their young players was named to the American League team as a reserve: Third Baseman Miguel Vargas.
To be sure, this was a huge deal for Vargas, given where he started both in this league and with the White Sox.
Vargas signed as an international free agent out of Cuba in 2017 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was named a consensus top-100 prospect in 2022 and a top-40 prospect in 2023. He would debut with Los Angeles in 2022 and would struggle for his first few seasons, despite his very high prospect status.
At the 2024 Trade Deadline, he was acquired with others by Chicago in exchange for Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech, and Tommy Pham.
He would play 42 games after the deadline for Chicago and would struggle immensely, slashing .104/.217/.170 with two home runs. It seemed that trade would quickly become a bust for the White Sox. However, Vargas took a meaningful step forward in the next season.
In 138 games, Vargas batted .238 with 16 home runs and a .717 OPS, showing potential with his bat and glove. In 2026, however, that potential has been fully realized. Vargas has reached a whole new level and has now deservedly gotten an All-Star selection.
In 86 games, Vargas has already hit 20 home runs with an .854 OPS, showing newfound speed on the basepaths with 11 stolen bases. He's also showing a level of hustle not seen in his major league career, with a higher sprint speed and better defense.
His All-Star selection was largely expected. What wasn't expected, however, was for him to be the only White Sox player on the team.
Were Multiple White Sox Snubbed?
First baseman Munetaka Murakami, despite playing only 57 games, hit 20 home runs with a .938 OPS. While he is currently injured, he would've been a reasonable choice to be selected after his elite start to the season. Murakami may be a rookie, but he already looks like a slugging star.
Shortstop Colson Montgomery is another White Sox player with 20+ home runs who may fall into the snub category. Then again, we all know how stacked the infield talent is across the league, especially at shortstop. This might always make it a little tougher for Montgomery to get over the hump. Not to mention, his season at the plate has been a little too up and down.
Finally, starter Davis Martin was surely a snub. With a 3.08 ERA in 17 starts, Martin had a terrific start to the season before an ugly game against the Yankees ballooned his stats. He's been a major part of the Sox exceeding expectations this season, performing like a reliable veteran ace on a frisky young team. Overall, he's only given up more than 4 runs twice over his 17 starts this year.
The good news is that there is still time for substitutes to be added – like Murakami, Montgomery, and Martin. But the fact that one of the best teams in the American League has only one All-Star (for now) is a strange decision.
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Matthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI. Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.