Ex-Brewers minor-leaguer among interesting All-Star Game connections

If we had told you in 2022 that one of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers would be a member of the 2026 All-Star Game contingent participating this weekend in Philadelphia, we’re pretty sure you would have guessed “Jackson Chourio.” Maybe “Sal Frelick.”

Instead, the all-star in question is Tristan Peters, a player the Brewers sent away in one of the more dubious trades in recent memory.

The native Canadian has enjoyed a breakout 2026 season with the Chicago White Sox, five years after the Brewers selected him out of Southern Illinois in the 2021 draft.

Peters, 26, has a .301 batting average, .832 OPS, six homers, five steals and 36 RBIs in 91 games. Baseball Reference lists him as a 3.0 wins-above-replacement player, which would rank him third on the 2026 Brewers behind Jacob Misiorowski and Brice Turang.

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But the Brewers dealt Peters in 2022 for a pitcher who … never actually pitched for the Brewers.

The deal landed Milwaukee veteran relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal, who hadn’t pitched since the 2020 season and was in the midst of a rehab from a hamstring injury with the San Francisco Giants. Three weeks after arriving, he left a rehab appearance in Nashville with a lat injury, and four days later, it was announced he’d miss the rest of the regular season. He never pitched for the Brewers or in the big leagues again.

It was one of many moves that went under the microscope in an ugly second half of the 2022 season, when the Brewers also traded Josh Hader and fell from playoff positioning to out of the postseason, missed by a single game. It’s the only season since 2017 in which the Brewers have missed the playoffs.

Peters had been strong at Class High A Wisconsin, with an .871 OPS in 90 games at age 22. He only spent a few months with the Giants, however, traded to Tampa Bay for Brett Wisely in November. After first reaching the big leagues briefly with the Rays in 2025, Peters’ contract was purchased by the White Sox in 2026. Count both the usually savvy Brewers and Rays as victimized by this particular personnel miss.

Peters was a late addition to the American League team, replacing injured Athletics star Nick Kurtz.

It’s the second straight year a White Sox rookie has made the all-star team with a player who once played in Milwaukee’s organization. Shane Smith, whom the Sox plucked in the Rule 5 draft before the 2025 season from Milwaukee, became an all-star last year and also made the team’s opening-day start against the Brewers.

Smith had a 10.80 ERA this year in three starts and returned to the minors, where he’s battled injury this year. He has a 4.58 ERA in five starts at Class AAA Charlotte. He just pitched effectively July 12 against the Brewers’ Class AAA team, Nashville, allowing one run on three hits in four innings.

Here are a few other Milwaukee/Wisconsin connections on the all-star rosters, aside from the Brewers selected (Misiorowski and William Contreras):

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Jacob Misiorowski (starting pitcher), 2025

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Freddy Peralta (starting pitcher), 2025

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Trevor Megill (relief pitcher), 2025
, Tampa Bay Rays

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An all-star for the second straight year, Rasmussen has a 3.26 ERA in 18 starts for the Rays, with 98 strikeouts in 99 innings and a cool 0.946 WHIP. Rasmussen was among the players traded to the Rays from the Brewers in the 2021 exchange for Willy Adames.

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He has a prickly relationship with the Brewers dating to his days with the Chicago Cubs, when he was last an all-star in 2022. The 34-year-old is having a strong season with the Boston Red Sox, owning a .921 OPS. He’s William’s brother, of course, and the two will face off on opposite sides of the All-Star Game. Willson will also compete in the Home Run Derby on July 13.

The National League rookie of the year in 2025 has been elected as the NL starting catcher this year, with a .782 OPS. He’s missed time with injury and slumped after a red-hot start, but it was a quality second season for the Madison West High School graduate.

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The reliever is the brother of former Brewers reliever Gus Varland, who was briefly with the team at the start of the 2023 season as a Rule 5 selection.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-Brewers minor-leaguer among interesting All-Star Game connections