CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters was planning on going to a lake house in Wisconsin with his wife Erin and some friends next week, but on Saturday, he had to tell her their new All-Star break plans.Peters found out he had replaced the Athletics’ injured slugger Nick Kurtz on the American League All-Star team.“She was so pumped, and we’re like, ‘We were going to Philadelphia,’” he said. “We changed our plans.”In an already unlikely season for the White Sox, Peters making the All-Star team is the biggest surprise. At least so far.The Sox acquired Peters from the Tampa Bay Rays in December for cash considerations or a player to be named later. He wasn’t sure he’d make the team. His wife had a baby during spring training.In the past 24 hours alone, Peters hit for the cycle in a blowout win over the A’s and made his first All-Star team.“It’s surreal,” he said. “it doesn’t feel real at the moment. I can’t believe this is all happening, it feels like all at once. I’m just so grateful.”Certainly a lot has changed for him and the White Sox over the past five months. They came into Saturday’s game tied for first place in the AL Central and Peters is one of three All-Stars, joining Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami.“He kind of came out of nowhere, right?” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “We liked him, obviously, enough to acquire him. He’s exceeded expectations and he’s done it in a way that it’s really neat for a guy who has worked so hard.”Peters, who got the day off Saturday, is slashing .303/.357/.484 and playing a superb center field. His teammates had been touting him for an All-Star selection for a while now, but it took him a bit to realize it was possible.“I guess towards the end of this first half, I was like OK, maybe there’s a chance, but you know, there’s a lot of really, really talented players in this league,” he said. “I’m just so honored to be able to play with them in this All-Star Game.”Peters, a seventh-round pick out of Southern Illinois, had only four games of major-league experience before this season and was perhaps best known for briefly playing for the Savannah Bananas in 2021, before the Brewers drafted him in the seventh round that year.But no, he wasn’t dancing or playing on stilts.“I only played with them for a month,” he said. “I will clarify, it was college summer ball. It wasn’t ‘Banana Ball’ like some people think it was, but it was still a good time. I think that adds to that. If that’s my reputation, I love it. The Bananas are awesome.”Jul 11, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms