Three Phillies infielders headline All-Star starters

Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff WriterJul 3, 2024, 07:52 PM ET

Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.The Philadelphia Phillies are sending three infielders to the MLB All-Star Game later this month, as Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm were among the starters named for the Midsummer Classic on Wednesday evening.

Turner won out over Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts in a close vote — although Betts wouldn’t be able to play in the game because of a broken left hand. Meanwhile, Bohm will be making his first All-Star start after having won 70% of the final voting over San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado.

Harper, the National League’s leading vote-getter, is currently nursing a left hamstring injury but is expected to play in the game.

“Obviously it’s something you dream about as a kid, it’s something that’s not to be taken lightly,” Bohm said. “But I think it’s just going to be cool to be able to look to my left and see the guy I play with every night over there, and look across the field and throw the ball to the guy I throw the ball to every night, so I think it’s just kind of cool to be able to have that moment with a couple of the guys that showed you the way.”

The announcement of the All-Star starters came after Phase 2 voting closed Wednesday afternoon. It featured the top two vote-getters at each position from Phase 1 squaring off, with the runner-up relegated to potential reserve duty. All-Star reserves and pitchers will be announced Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“Hopefully [second baseman Bryson] Stott makes it as well,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Atlanta had it last year where all four of their infielders made it.”

The New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers and Padres each have two starters representing their respective teams.

For the American League, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Juan Soto will start together in the outfield, along with the Guardians’ Steven Kwan, who is making his first All-Star appearance and the first for a Cleveland outfielder since Juan Gonzalez in 2001.

The Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will start at first base, with the Astros’ Jose Altuve at second, the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson at shortstop and the Guardians’ Jose Ramirez at third. This is Altuve’s ninth selection, while Henderson becomes the third-youngest AL shortstop to win the fan voting behind Carlos Correa, who was 22 in 2017, and Alex Rodriguez, who started at 21 years old in 1997.

The O’s Adley Rutschman, who won the voting behind the plate, said Henderson’s selection is “a testament to the work he has put in.”

“The dedication, and the guy is just impressive all around as a human being and baseball player,” Rutschman said. “It has been fun to watch him grow and develop into the player that he is now. He definitely deserved it.”

Baltimore narrowly missed out on having a third player named a starter, with Ryan O’Hearn falling to the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez in final voting at designated hitter, 52% to 48%.

For the NL, joining Harper, Turner and Bohm in the infield will be Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, while the Brewers’ Christian Yelich was elected to start alongside Padres teammates Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the outfield.

Profar and Tatis are the first Padres outfielders to earn election since Tony Gwynn in 1999. They also were involved in the closest Phase 2 race, as they narrowly beat Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh for starting jobs.

However, Tatis has not played since June 21 because of a stress reaction in his right thigh bone, and he might be sidelined past the All-Star break.

Brewers catcher William Contreras will start behind the plate, becoming the first Milwaukee catcher to earn election since Ted Simmons in 1983.

Meanwhile, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani gets the nod at designated hitter. It’s Ohtani’s fourth straight start at DH, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.