Padres' 5-strong All-Star contingent includes franchise first: a rookie
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SAN DIEGO -- The Padres will be sending a sizeable contingent to Texas later this month for the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard -- including their entire starting outfield.
Major League Baseball unveiled its full All-Star rosters on Sunday afternoon during the Padres' 9-1 loss to the D-backs at Petco Park. In addition to Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jurickson Profar, who were announced as starters on Wednesday, center fielder Jackson Merrill, infielder Luis Arraez and closer Robert Suarez were named to the National League All-Star team.
The Padres’ five All-Stars are their most since 2021. They trail only the Phillies (seven) and Dodgers (six) among 2024 clubs.
Profar, Suarez and Merrill will be making their first trip to the Midsummer Classic -- with Merrill set to become the first rookie All-Star in Padres history. Arraez, meanwhile, is an All-Star for the third time. As for Tatis, he was listed as inactive in Sunday’s roster release, which means -- as expected -- he won’t participate in the game as he deals with a stress reaction in the femur bone in his right leg.
The game is set to take place on July 16.
Over the past month, Merrill has begun to assert himself as a serious Rookie of the Year candidate. He was hitting .288 with a .775 OPS entering play Sunday, while playing a stellar center field. Earlier this week, Merrill was named the NL’s Rookie of the Month for June.
Suarez, meanwhile, has been one of the sport’s most dominant closers for the first half of the season. He has recorded saves in 22 of 24 opportunities with a 1.77 ERA. Handed the closer role after Josh Hader’s departure, Suarez has been everything the Padres could have hoped.
As for Arraez, his .315 batting average entering play Sunday trailed only Shohei Ohtani’s .316 mark among NL hitters. Arraez arrived from Miami via trade in early May, and he has been a perfect fit atop the Padres lineup since.