Gleyber Torres headlines list of replacements for MLB All-Star Game
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was outspoken on Wednesday about how he thought middle infielder Gleyber Torres belonged in the All-Star Game.
One day later, he got his wish.
On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced the latest replacements for next Tuesday’s All-Star Game with Torres making the cut. The 22-year-old will take the spot of Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, who was named to the team Wednesday just after injuring his foot.
Torres will be the fourth Yankee to make the team, although his selection feels very much overdue.
Torres has been one of the game’s biggest stars
Torres was well-known when he was the centerpiece of a 2016 trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Cincinnati Reds, and he’s completely lived up to the hype since.
An All-Star as a rookie in 2018, he finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .271/.340/.480 with 24 homers. Torres has been a step better in 2019 with a .298/.365/.543 line and 19 homers in just 78 games — while moonlighting at shortstop when needed.
Between his hot play and popularity on the game’s biggest team, Torres was an All-Star Finalist at shortstop, but he lost narrowly to Minnesota Twins breakout star Jorge Polanco.
Still, he’s been an obvious candidate to make the game, especially if MLB wants to promote its young stars. But instead, the American League chose fellow middle infielders Lowe and $120 million man Xander Bogaerts as the initial replacement hitters.
Who are the other All-Star Game replacements?
The All-Star rosters already start at 64 players — 20 hitters and 12 pitchers for each league — but that number quickly rises as players. Some players get hurt, and many pitchers start too close to the Midsummer Classic to make an appearance.
While we can expect even more replacements in the coming days, here is a running list of who is in and who is out of the contest:
AL
OUT: Hunter Pence (groin injury). IN: Xander Bogaerts
OUT: Tommy La Stella (fractured tibia). IN: Brandon Lowe
OUT: Brandon Lowe (right shin contusion). IN: Gleyber Torres
OUT: Jake Odorizzi (blister). IN: José Berríos
OUT: Charlie Morton (pitching Sunday). IN: Shane Bieber
OUT: Mike Minor (pitching Sunday). IN: Liam Hendriks
OUT: Marcus Stroman (pectoral injury). IN: Masahiro Tanaka
NL
OUT: Anthony Rendon (various ailments). IN: Max Muncy
OUT: Zack Greinke (personal matter). IN: Felipe Vázquez
OUT: Josh Hader (back soreness). IN: Brandon Woodruff
OUT: Max Scherzer (pitching Sunday). IN: Sonny Gray
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