The developers behind MLB The Show 26 appear to be up to something, sharing a curious announcement stating that the upcoming baseball game won't have a cover athlete like entries in the series traditionally do. But the wording leaves open several possibilities.
A Twitter/X post on the official MLB The Show account reads: "We know that you are all just as excited as we are for the release of MLB The Show 26, so we wanted to let everyone know that this year we have decided that we will not have a new cover athlete." The sly message urges readers to "stay tuned" for further news.
Many in the replies were quick to point out that this statement doesn't rule out that a previous cover athlete could feature on the boxart. A looser reading of the statement could also take it as multiple athletes gracing the cover; last year's MLB The Show 25 featured three players: Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson. If you want to let your imagination run wild, feel free to picture MLB mascots making the cover this year as well.
Being the cover athlete of a major sports video game is an honor akin to being on a Wheaties box. Other players who were privileged to represent Sony's MLB The Show franchise include Shohei Ohtani, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Bryce Harper.
MLB The Show is still on a hot streak, with GameSpot's review of MLB The Show 25 giving it an 8/10 score while saying it "plays a typically excellent game of baseball."
There is no set release date for MLB The Show 26, but new installments of the series usually launch in March or early April. San Diego Studio already announced that MLB The Show 26 will add new features to the Road To The Show and Diamond Dynasty modes.
Source
A Twitter/X post on the official MLB The Show account reads: "We know that you are all just as excited as we are for the release of MLB The Show 26, so we wanted to let everyone know that this year we have decided that we will not have a new cover athlete." The sly message urges readers to "stay tuned" for further news.
Many in the replies were quick to point out that this statement doesn't rule out that a previous cover athlete could feature on the boxart. A looser reading of the statement could also take it as multiple athletes gracing the cover; last year's MLB The Show 25 featured three players: Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson. If you want to let your imagination run wild, feel free to picture MLB mascots making the cover this year as well.
Breaking News: There will not be a new cover athlete for #MLBTheShow 26.
pic.twitter.com/xhTW8D3u0g
— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 26, 2026
Being the cover athlete of a major sports video game is an honor akin to being on a Wheaties box. Other players who were privileged to represent Sony's MLB The Show franchise include Shohei Ohtani, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Bryce Harper.
MLB The Show is still on a hot streak, with GameSpot's review of MLB The Show 25 giving it an 8/10 score while saying it "plays a typically excellent game of baseball."
There is no set release date for MLB The Show 26, but new installments of the series usually launch in March or early April. San Diego Studio already announced that MLB The Show 26 will add new features to the Road To The Show and Diamond Dynasty modes.
Source