When the National League team takes the field in the top of the first inning for Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, two-thirds of the outfield will be Cubs.
Kyle Tucker will start in right field and Pete Crow-Armstrong will start in center for the NL. The teams are set to take the field at 7 p.m.
This is the fourth consecutive All-Star selection for Tucker, but it’s his first in the NL and also the first time he’s been named a starter.
Tucker, who came to Chicago in an offseason trade with the Houston Astros, was on the American League All-Star roster three straight seasons from 2022-24.
Crow-Armstrong, meanwhile, is making both his first All-Star Game start and appearance.
The Cubs’ one-time top prospect, first called up late in the 2023 season, has made a huge leap in 2025. He’s the fastest Cubs player and the fourth-fastest in MLB history to reach 25 homers and 25 stolen bases in a season, needing just 92 games, all while making one dazzling play after another in center.
How much will they play?
When the two Cubs will first come to bat Tuesday night depends on what happens with the rest of the lineup.
Tucker is batting No. 7 in the NL starting lineup, with Crow-Armstrong rounding it out in the No. 9 spot. They will presumably be facing AL starter Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers, unless he’s taken out for another pitcher by the time Tucker and Crow-Armstrong come to the plate.
How long they play and how many at-bats they get is uncertain, but generally the starters play about two to three innings, which means they could get anywhere between one to three plate appearances.
Who else will play?
Aside from Tucker and Crow-Armstrong, just one other player from either the Cubs or the White Sox could play in Tuesday night’s game.
That would be right-handed White Sox pitcher Shane Smith, a former Rule 5 pick who’s making his first All-Star appearance as the South Siders’ lone representative this year.
According to the Sun-Times, Smith says he’s “ready to throw” in Tuesday’s game should AL manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees call his number.
Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd also earned his first All-Star nod this season, at age 34, but he has opted not to pitch in Tuesday’s game, as he looks to limit his innings and workload to continue what’s been a stellar season so far.
Boyd just started Saturday’s game against the Yankees in New York and delivered a dominant performance, tossing eight scoreless innings in a 5-2 win.
He will get All-Star recognition for this year’s game but will not play in it.
Báez starting for AL
While the Cubs and White Sox totaled four All-Star selections this season, there are a number of former players from both teams who earned nods this year.
Most notable is Javy Báez, the one-time Cubs superstar who was a key piece of the 2016 World Series championship team.
Báez was traded to the New York Mets during the 2021 season in the deal that sent Crow-Armstrong to the Cubs. Báez then signed a big free-agent deal with the Tigers following that half-season with the Mets.
Báez struggled mightily over his first three seasons in Detroit and was moved from the infield to primarily center field this season. He’s had a major career resurgence and was named the AL’s All-Star starter in center field.
That means he’ll be Crow-Armstrong’s positional counterpart on Tuesday night in an amazing case of things coming full circle. MLB.com‘s Jordan Bastian wrote a great feature piece about it that you can read HERE.
Who else is playing?
Also on the AL roster this year is former White Sox ace lefty Garrett Crochet, traded to the Boston Red Sox this offseason. Crochet was an All-Star with the White Sox last year and has had a stellar first season with Boston, although he won’t pitch Tuesday night.
Lefty Carlos Rodón of the Yankees, also a former All-Star with the White Sox, was named as a replacement to the AL All-Star roster this year. It’s his third career All-Star nod overall.
On the NL squad, Kyle Schwarber, the former Cubs slugger who also helped them win it all in 2016, earned his second All-Star nod with the Philadelphia Phillies and his third overall.
Astros infielder Isaac Paredes, who spent the second half of last season with the Cubs, earned his second straight AL All-Star selection, for two different teams. And Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Trevor Megill, who made 28 appearances for the Cubs as a rookie in 2021, got his first career All-Star nod as an NL replacement this year.
Starting lineups
Here are the starting lineups for Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta. The National League is the home team.
American League
Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers, 2B
Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers, LF
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees, RF
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners, C
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays, 1B
Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles, DH
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays, 3B
Javy Báez, Detroit Tigers, CF
Jacob Wilson, Athletics, SS
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers, P
National League
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers, DH
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves, LF
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks, 2B
Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1B
Manny Machado, San Diego Padres, 3B
Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers, C
Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs, RF
Francisco Lindor, New York Mets, SS
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs, CF
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates, P
You can see the full All-Star Game rosters and more at MLB.com.