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As it happens every year, two more players have been added to the All-Star Game rosters because of injury, with Troy Tulowitzki and Brian Dozier each getting the call for their respective leagues. Both infielders fell short in the Final Vote. The former got the nod after the National League’s starting second baseman Dee Gordon dislocated his finger sliding headfirst into first base. Although that is typically a dumb move, Gordon was trying to avoid a tag, so he at least had an argument for making the move. Meanwhile, the Marlins are upset one of their own didn’t replace him, as they no longer have an active representative in Tuesday’s game.
In the American League, Bautista will be sitting out because of shoulder problems that have been bothering him all year. The injury has caused him to stay out of the field for much of the first half, so the contending Blue Jays would much prefer he rest up and get some treatment during the break. Dozier, meanwhile, gets a much-deserved call to Cincinnati. He’s hitting .259/.332/.517 with 19 homers on the year, and was arguably the biggest snub from the game.
The news goes to show the futility of getting overly worked up about the All-Star rosters when they first come out. Although some players are legitimately snubbed by the time the game starts, most of them make the roster one way or another. Even more will likely be added to the roster today as other players reveal bumps and bruises. At least one more will be heading to Cincinnati because of Max Scherzer making his start today.
- Scherzer deciding to start today instead of on Tuesday could have positive effects for multiple Dodgers.
- It turns out Matt Harvey can hit, too, which is completely unfair to the rest of the league.
- Jason Grilli has been having a tremendous bounce-back season and was a valuable trade chip for Atlanta before catching a horrible break and rupturing his Achilles yesterday.
- The Yankees are in first place and could use another starting pitcher. The White Sox are in last place and have an extra starter in Jeff Samardzija. They should probably make a trade.
- St. Louis has a surplus of outfielders, and could dip into that well before the trade deadline.
- As the Padres continue their disappointing season, they are expected to sell off some off their spare parts. It’s possible James Shields could be among them.
- Jose Fernandez is back, which is some of the best news in baseball this year.
- There is no reason for the Phillies accept anything less than a franchise-changer in exchange for Cole Hamels.
- Former Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz has had a fall from grace since winning the award, but the bullpen-starved Tigers are giving him another chance.
- The Pirates are reportedly interested in Jeff Francoeur, who I am convinced will be playing for the next 50 years.
