Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski, All-Star selection included, but pitching plans likely sideline him

Jacob Misiorowski’s run of dominance has put him in the All-Star picture for the Milwaukee Brewers, and CBS Sports reported on Thursday that his first-half body of work still has him leading qualified pitchers in ERA at 1.47 while topping all qualified pitchers with 156 strikeouts and 4.3 WAR. But the storyline for the All-Star Game is not whether he is good enough. It is whether Milwaukee’s right-hander can legally work that specific role on the calendar.

Under the tournament rules for the MLB All-Star Game, pitchers who start on the Sunday before the Midsummer Classic are ineligible to appear in the game itself. CBS Sports reported that Brewers manager Pat Murphy has mapped Misiorowski’s next starts in a way that likely places him in that ineligible window. Murphy indicated Misiorowski is scheduled to start next Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals and then next Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. That Sunday outing would be two nights prior to the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday, July 14, which would move him from potential participant to spectator.

The Brewers’ position on this is as much about timing and health management as it is about recognition. Murphy’s rationale, as relayed in the reporting through, was straightforward: “I’m being honest: We’re just trying to win games.” He added that the Brewers are looking at division competition and emphasized that Misiorowski’s health is important.

Misiorowski also addressed the tradeoff. According to the same reporting, he said he understands the situation, and that it makes it easier to accept the outcome because it is not a lost chance, but a shift into a different kind of experience. He acknowledged that he would prefer to throw in the game, but accepted that “so be it,” framing the All-Star week as a chance to be among the league’s top pitchers in the background rather than on the mound.

That is where the near-term performance context sharpens the argument. CBS Sports noted that Misiorowski was not at his best in his most recent start, giving up two home runs and a career-high-tying five runs (one earned) in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds, 7-2. Even in that rough outing, his overall season track record has stayed at the top of Milwaukee’s rotation, and it is what earned him the All-Star selection in the first place.

For the All-Star Game, the practical result is an opening in the NL pitching plans. Since Misiorowski would be unavailable to pitch due to the Sunday-start rule, the NL will need to adjust who takes those innings in Philadelphia. The exact replacement starter depends on how rosters and pitching usage are finalized closer to the game, but the ripple effect is clear: Milwaukee’s ace is likely to attend, not pitch, even if his selection makes him one of the storylines of the week.

For Milwaukee, the bigger implication is operational rather than ceremonial. The Brewers can keep their ace on the schedule that Murphy has laid out without burning a peak starter in a short, all-exhibition context. The immediate watch point is how the Cardinals and Pirates starts line up in practice, because the Sunday-ineligibility framework assumes those outings happen as planned. If the schedule changes, the All-Star pitching picture could change with it, but as of the current reporting, Misiorowski’s role in Philadelphia is likely to be one of presence, not pitching duty.