NEW YORK — All-Star Week will have a bit of a different look in 2026.
Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Wednesday that, in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s new media rights agreements, there will be some tweaks to the All-Star Week schedule beginning in Philadelphia in 2026.
The first round of the 2026 MLB Draft will take place on Saturday, July 11, moving away from Sunday for the first time since the event moved to All-Star Week in 2021. The first hour of the Draft will be broadcast on NBC, while the rest of the event will air on both MLB Network and Peacock.
Sunday will now feature the prospect-heavy Futures Game, which had previously been played on Saturdays since 2022. The Futures Game will be broadcast on NBC.
“We’re really excited about that,” said Manfred, speaking during the league’s owners meetings.
MLB will also introduce a new Sunday event featuring former players and celebrities, though no details were made available.
Monday’s marquee event will continue to be the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, which will be broadcast on Netflix, while Tuesday’s All-Star Game will continue to air on FOX.
A few other notes from Wednesday at the owners Meetings
• MLB announced a new six-year agreement with PitchCom that will run through the 2031 season. The deal will keep the signal-calling system — which was first adopted for use by MLB teams in 2022 — available to all Major League and Triple-A clubs.
“PitchCom is an example of on-field technology that quickly gained widespread support throughout the game, and it’s a really tribute to their product,” Manfred said. “It’s been important both in terms of moving the game along and deterrence of sign-stealing.”
• The Phillies and Twins will meet in the third edition of the MLB at Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, on Aug. 13. The event, the first at the site since 2022, will be broadcast on Netflix.
Two days earlier, the Iowa Cubs and St. Paul Saints will play a game at the Field of Dreams, the second time a Minor League game will take place at the legendary site.
• The Rays recently announced plans to play their 2026 home schedule back at Tropicana Field after hurricane damage forced them to play their 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. Manfred said the renovations to the Trop are “doing really well,” keeping the Rays in line to host their home opener on April 6.
“I think they only have two panels left, I believe, and they expect the roof to be dried out the first week in December, which is a really important milestone for us,” Manfred said. “There’s going to be new turf and padding, new flooring throughout, renovations of the suites, the seating areas; all the air quality tests have come back fine, so we’re really pleased with the progress that made it at the Trop.”
“It’s a really appealing franchise,” Manfred said. “They’ve done a great job building a fan base. The in-ballpark experience in San Diego is probably one of our best. They’ve got some great players, and I expect there will be people that will be interested in buying them.”
