Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts was named to his fourth All-Star team on Sunday. Ted S. Warren/Associated Press
Xander Bogaerts will join Rafael Devers in the All-Star Game, as the Red Sox shortstop was named an American League reserve when the teams were announced Sunday evening.
It’s Bogaerts’ fourth time selected for the Midsummer Classic. He’s hitting .309 with an .834 OPS. He has seven home runs and 35 runs batted in. He was chosen among several outstanding shortstops in the American League.
Bogaerts was also selected in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
The All-Star Game is on July 19 at Dodger Stadium.
Alex Cora stumped for the candidacy of catcher Christian Vázquez and reliever John Schreiber. Nick Pivetta’s case was hurt by a rough outing last week.
Shohei Ohtani was picked for the American League pitching staff as a Major League Baseball selection, two days after he was elected by fans to start at designated hitter.
Pitchers Clay Holmes, Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes made the AL team from the Yankees along with catcher Jose Trevino, giving New York six All-Stars for the first time since 2011. Outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were elected to start.
Defending AL champion Houston has five All-Stars, with pitchers Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez, outfielder Kyle Tucker and designated hitter Yordan Álvarez selected along with starting second baseman Jose Altuve. Álvarez went on the injured list Sunday because of right hand inflammation.
World Series champion Atlanta also has five All-Stars. Pitcher Max Fried, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, shortstop Dansby Swanson and DH William Contreras joined elected outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.
Contreras will be the NL’s DH in place of Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper, who was elected to start but broke his left thumb on June 25.
Pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin were chosen from the Dodgers, joining starting outfielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Trea Turner. Kershaw was chosen by MLB and is a favorite to open on the mound for the NL, which has lost eight straight All-Star Games and 20 of the last 23 played to a decision.
Seattle outfielder Julio Rodríguez was the lone rookie picked, and at 21 is the youngest of this year’s All-Stars. There are 30 first-time All-Stars. Rodríguez, who debuted on April 8, is among 10 age 24 or younger.
Ohtani, the reigning AL MVP, is hitting .260 with 19 homers and 59 RBI and is 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA, 111 strikeouts and 20 walks in 81 innings. He has won five consecutive starts and is coming off a Wednesday outing at Miami in which he became the first player in major league history to strike out 10 batters, drive in two runs and steal a base.
In the AL’s 5-2 win last year at Colorado, Ohtani pitched a 1-2-3 first inning by retiring Fernando Tatis Jr., Max Muncy and Nolan Arenado. As a hitter, he grounded out twice.
Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera has the most All-Star selections among this year’s picks with 12, and St. Louis DH Albert Pujols is second with 11. Both were picks of Commissioner Rob Manfred under a provision for career achievements in the new collective bargaining agreement.
Angels outfielder Mike Trout is next with 10, followed by Kershaw and Verlander with nine apiece. Trout was picked for the ninth straight time.
AL pitchers elected by players included Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase, Baltimore’s Jorge López, Toronto’s Alek Manoah and Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan.
NL pitchers picked by players were Miami’s Sandy Alcantara, Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader, the Mets’ Edwin Díaz, St. Louis’ Ryan Helsley and San Diego’s Joe Musgrove, along with Fried and Gonsolin.
AL position players chosen by colleagues were Bogaerts, Minnesota infielder Luis Arraez, Cleveland second baseman Andrés Giménez and third baseman José Ramírez, and outfielders Byron Buxton of Minnesota and George Springer of Toronto, along with Alvarez, Trevino and Tucker.
NL position players selected by players were Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and outfielder Starling Marte, St. Louis third baseman Nolan Arenado, and outfielders Kyle Schwarber of Philadelphia and Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs, along with d’Arnaud, Contreras and Swanson.
MLB added seven AL players, with Ohtani, Rodríguez and Valdez joined by pitchers Paul Blackburn of Oakland, Gregory Soto of Detroit and Martín Pérez of Texas, and Kansas City outfielder Andrew Benintendi.
MLB’s NL choices included Pittsburgh’s David Bednar, Cincinnati’s Luis Castillo, Arizona’s Joe Mantiply and Kershaw for the pitching staff, along with Colorado first baseman C.J. Cron and Washington outfielder Juan Soto.
At least one player must be included from all 30 teams. Twenty-eight All-Stars were born outside the 50 states.
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