The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby will take place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Monday, July 13.
The event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET and will stream live on Netflix, with MLB moving one of All-Star Week’s biggest events into a new broadcast era.
This year’s Derby has a full eight-player field, including two Philadelphia Phillies sluggers who should turn the home crowd into a major part of the night.
The confirmed participants are Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox, Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals, Bryce Harper of the Phillies, Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies, and Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox.
Murakami was announced as the final participant after recently returning from a hamstring injury.
Phillies fans get two big names
Harper and Schwarber will naturally draw the loudest reaction from the Philadelphia crowd.
Harper won the 2018 Home Run Derby in Washington and now gets the chance to chase another title in front of Phillies fans.
Schwarber gives the field another major power threat. CBS Sports noted that he was leading the majors with 32 home runs when its Derby tracker was updated.
Caminero also returns after finishing as runner-up to Cal Raleigh in the 2025 Derby, giving him a clear redemption angle.
With Caglianone, Rice, Contreras, Walker, and Murakami also involved, the field has a mix of established power and newer names capable of changing the event quickly.
New format for 2026
The 2026 Derby will look different because MLB has removed the clock-based format.
Instead of timed rounds, hitters will get a set number of swings: 20 in the first round, then 15 in the semifinals and final.
If a player homers on his final allowed swing, he can continue swinging until he doesn’t hit a home run.
There is no bonus round and no bracket in the first round. The top four hitters advance from Round 1, with semifinal matchups seeded by first-round totals.
Philadelphia last hosted the Home Run Derby in 1996 at Veterans Stadium, when Barry Bonds beat Mark McGwire in the final.
Thirty years later, the event returns to the city with a new format, two hometown stars, and a field built around raw power.
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