Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez will make his All-Star debut, replacing Atlanta’s Chris Sale, who is scheduled to start for the Braves on Sunday and will not throw in the Midsummer Classic.
With Sánchez’s inclusion on Saturday, the Phillies now have eight All-Stars, the most in MLB history for the organization.
The game will be played on Tuesday night at the Texas Rangers’ home ballpark. Philadelphia is the only MLB team with at least 60 victories heading into the break.
Sánchez is the third pitcher from Philadelphia’s rotation to be selected to the All-Star Game, though he may be the only one.
Right-hander Zack Wheeler was already ruled out due to back spasms, and Ranger Suárez now joins him with the same problem. Suárez was replaced on Saturday by Atlanta’s Max Fried, who made his second All-Star appearance.
Sánchez is the 38th player to receive his first All-Star nomination, and Fried is the 10th replacement, six of whom are from the National League. These additions raise the overall number of All-Stars to 74.
Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, claimed that Suárez’s removal from the All-Star Game was a precautionary move. The 28-year-old left-hander complained of lower back discomfort and spasms following Friday night’s 6-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics.
“Obviously, you want to be in the All-Star Game, but I believe that health comes first,” Suárez said via an interpreter following Philadelphia’s 11-5 victory against Oakland on Saturday. “I think it’s best for me to rest.”
Suárez, who has a 10-4 record, had a 1.83 ERA through 16 appearances, but it has climbed to 8.62 over his last three, resulting in three defeats in four games.
“He’s pitched a lot of innings, and we want to make sure he stays fresh,” said Dombrowski. “It will be a nice break for him.”
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