Realmuto joins starting lineup
Phillies’ catcher will take the place of injured Posey
Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto will take over for injured San Francisco catcher Buster Posey as the National League’s starter in Tuesday’s Allstar Game at Coors Field.
St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina earned his 10th All-star selection, among 10 replacements announced Saturday by Major League Baseball, then said hours later he would also skip the Allstar Game. He was replaced by Milwaukee catcher Omar Narvaez.
Molina was elected on the players’ ballot and filled the spot vacated when Posey was put on the injured list Friday, five days after his left thumb was bruised by a foul tip. Narvaez will make his first All-star appearance.
Major League Baseball also said Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was injured and won’t participate, though Betts played an entire nine innings Friday night.
Kansas City second baseman Whit Merrifield and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson also earned selections from the players’ ballot, replacing Houston second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa.
Altuve said he needed time off to deal with unspecified issues with his left leg, and Correa said he wanted to spend time with wife Daniella, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child.
Merrifield became a two-time All-star. Anderson, the 2019 AL batting champion, earned his first All-star trip.
New York Mets pitcher Jacob degrom also said he was withdrawing from the All-star Game, wanting to rest for the second half. Degrom, who has a 1.08 ERA, was bothered in the first half by discomfort in his right lat muscle, tightness in his right side and flexor tendinitis in his right arm.
The commissioner’s office picked Washington’s Max Scherzer, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Walker Buehler, the Mets’ Taijuan Walker and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta as additions to the NL pitching staff. Mets manager Luis Rojas and Brewers manager Craig Counsell had said Friday their pitchers would be added.
Scherzer earned his eighth All-star selection.
MLB also added Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner to the NL roster, and Oakland pitcher Chris Bassitt and Tampa Bay second baseman Joey Wendle to the AL roster.
Houston outfielder Michael Brantley and San Diego pitcher Yu Darvish are withdrawing because of injuries.
Cleveland pitcher Shane Bieber, Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Washington outfielder Kyle Schwarber were previously ruled out because of injuries.
San Francisco’s Kevin Gausman and Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff remain active for the game but are scheduled for starts for their teams on Sunday.
Houston reliever Ryan Pressly will miss the game because of paternity leave.