San Diego Studios announced on Monday that MLB The Show ’26 will not feature a new cover athlete.
Last year’s iteration of the game included Pittsburgh Pirates ace and Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson.
If the game is running it back with one of those three, Skenes would be the logical choice. He was incredible in the 2025 season, finishing 10-10 across 32 starts with a 1.97 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 216 strikeouts in 187.2 innings. He has emerged as the best starting pitcher in the sport not named Tarik Skubal.
If the game is turning to a prior cover athlete, however, Shohei Ohtani would make sense after earning his third straight MVP award (fourth overall) and winning his second straight title with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani is the face of the sport and one of the most singular athletes in the history of baseball, given his two-way impact as a hitter and pitcher. In that regard, it would only make sense that he return to the MLB The Show cover.
Aaron Judge would be another strong option as a returning cover athlete after winning his second straight AL MVP and third overall. He’s now blasted 50 or more home runs in three of his last four seasons (and four times overall). Nobody hits it out of the park as consistently as Judge.
One sleeper pick is Andruw Jones, who was the cover athlete in 2022 and was just inducted into to the Baseball Hall of Fame alongside Carlos Beltrán. Or the game could go a different route if Monday’s announcement indeed means the return of a former cover athlete.
