Justin Verlander Named to 2026 MLB All-Star Game Roster as 'Legend Pick,' Updated AL Pitching Staff

Detroit Tigers veteran starting pitcher Justin Verlander officially will be making his 10th All-Star appearance this year before ending his legendary career.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Wednesday that Verlander has been named to the American League roster for the 2026 All-Star Game as a "Legend Pick."

After being selected for the All-Star Game, Verlander announced that he will retire at the end of the 2026 MLB season.

The updated AL pitching staff is as follows:

Position	Player
Starter	Dylan Cease, Toronto Blue Jays
Starter	Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
Starter	Ranger Suarez, Boston Red Sox
Starter	Parker Messick, Cleveland Guardians
Starter	Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays
Starter	Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees
Starter	Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals
Reliever	Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox
Reliever	Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians
Reliever	Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers
Reliever	Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays
Reliever	Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays
Legend Pick	Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

The oldest active player in MLB at 43, Verlander has started just one game for the Tigers this season, giving up five earned runs in a 9-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 30. He missed all of April and May due to left hip inflammation. He was scratched from a scheduled start on June 21 after sustaining a hamstring injury, and manager A.J. Hinch said he would miss multiple weeks.

"My hip actually feels fairly good," Verlander said at the time. "All of a sudden, my hamstring was bugging me and I had to cut my bullpen short. Anytime I'm not able to get my work in, it means something's definitely off, so we decided to get it looked at, and there's a strain. Just really unfortunate, man. It just sucks. I don't know how else to say it."

One of the greatest pitchers in MLB history, Verlander has compiled a career record of 266-159 with a 3.33 ERA in 556 starts across 21 seasons. He's thrown 3,554 strikeouts with 26 complete games, including nine shutouts. He's a two-time World Series champion, a three-time AL Cy Young Award winner and a former AL MVP. He's just the second pitcher in MLB history to win the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP awards in his career, joining Don Newcombe.

Per MLB.com, previous "Legend Picks" by Manfred included Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera in 2022 and Clayton Kershaw in 2025.

Verlander's counterpart on the National League roster will be Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper, who Manfred selected to represent the host team for the All-Star Game.