4 former Cubs join Pete Crow-Armstrong center stage during 2026 MLB All-Star Game

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is upon us, with the National and American League squads set to square off Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Chicago Cubs fans will be waiting for when Pete Crow-Armstrong enters the game off the bench, but will see plenty of familiar faces elsewhere in the contest.

Crow-Armstrong is the Cubs' lone representative, making his second straight Midsummer Classic appearance. Ben Brown had an outside shot at a roster spot before hitting the injured list, but there's not much point in going too far down that rabbit hole.

Regardless, here are four players who suited up for Chicago in the recent (and not-so-recent) past you'll see during the All-Star Game.

Three 2016 World Series heroes, Cody Bellinger punch All-Star tickets

Cody Bellinger

Let's start with Cody Bellinger, who spent 2023-24 with the Cubs. His first season with the team was, by far, his best, when Jed Hoyer's faith in the former MVP and Rookie of the Year was rewarded in spades after Bellinger put up 4.8 bWAR to go along with 26 homers, 29 doubles and 97 RBI, earning NL Comeback Player of the Year honors in the process.

His foray into free agency didn't go as planned and he wound up re-signing with Chicago on a three-year, $80 million deal. 2024 saw Bellinger take a step in the wrong direction (2.2 bWAR, 111 OPS+) and Hoyer eventually flipped him to the Yankees in a salary dump move that drew the ire of a frustrated fanbase.

Bellinger signed a multi-year deal with New York and, in the first season under that new contract, is an All-Star for the first time since 2019. On the heels of a 5.0 bWAR campaign in 2025, he's already at 3.6 bWAR in 2026 - playing a key role for an injury-tested Yankees lineup.

Kyle Schwarber

I'm sure I wasn't alone rooting for Kyle Schwarber during the Home Run Derby Monday night. Unfortunately he (once again) came tantalizingly close to taking home the trophy, only to fall in the finals (the same fate that befell him in 2018, when he squared off against now-teammate Bryce Harper).

Regardless, Schwarber is enjoying another monster season for the Phillies and is on pace for a 60+ homer campaign that would pull him ever-closer toward becoming Cooperstown-worthy when he calls it a career down the road. He's got 89 hits on the year - and a staggering 32 of them have left the yard.

At this pace, he'll eclipse 400 homers by the end of the 2026 season. Nice to remember that, despite his heroic comeback in the 2016 World Series, the Cubs let him walk after the 2020 season just to save some cash.

Willson Contreras

The man you love - until he plays against you. Cubs fans fondly remember Willson Contreras' days as the fiery leader on the North Side, but after he talked smack after signing with the rival St. Louis Cardinals, his standing took a hit among many of the Wrigleyville faithful.

That marriage never came together the way either side envisioned and, last winter under new president of baseball operation Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals traded Contreras to Boston - only to see him blossom with the Red Sox and earn his fourth All-Star selection.

Assuming he stays healthy and productive, Contreras will call 2026 the best year of his MLB career. Having only eclipsed 4.0 bWAR once (in 2021 with Chicago), he's already at 3.5 bWAR this season. He's been at the center of multiple scuffles and incidents, but that seems to come with the territory.

Aroldis Chapman

We've talked a lot about Aroldis Chapman in recent weeks as a speculative trade fit for a Cubs team in dire need of late-inning reinforcements. Boston closing out the first half winning nine of 10 and pulling within a half-game of a wild-card spot doesn't do much for Chicago's hopes of acquiring the lefty - but it remains a story to watch between now and the trade deadline.

Chapman, reunited with Contreras in Boston 10 years after they were teammates on the 2016 World Series champion Cubs, continues to defy Father TIme. At age 38, he carries a 2.20 ERA with 19 saves into the All-Star break. The nine-time All-Star is averaging more than 11 strikeouts per nine and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

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