Red Sox lead MLB with 5 All-Star selections

OAKLAND -- Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers will have company in Denver.

J.D. Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi and Matt Barnes were named American League All-Star reserves, set to join starters Bogaerts and Devers at the Midsummer Classic at Coors Field on July 13.

• MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: July 13 on FOX

Their five All-Stars are the most of any club in the AL. The last time the Red Sox had five All-Stars was 2018, when they were represented by Martinez, Chris Sale, Mookie Betts, Mitch Moreland and Craig Kimbrel.

For Martinez, this is his fourth career All-Star nomination, three of which have come during his time with Boston. His first came with the Tigers in 2015.

Entering Sunday, Martinez is slashing .303/.369/.557 with 17 home runs. This season has been a bounce-back year for the three-time Silver Slugger, who hit .213/.291/.389 last season.

"I told you guys I bet you a dollar that he was going to have a good season, so you can send me the money to the clubhouse whenever you guys can," joked manager Alex Cora to reporters.

"He's one of the best hitters in the big leagues. He's a proud individual, too, and he's playing with a chip on his shoulder."

While Martinez has represented the Junior Circuit several times, this is the first selection for Barnes and Eovaldi, both of whom are enjoying the best seasons of their respective careers.

Eovaldi has built off last season’s success and emerged as one of the American League’s best starters, posting a 3.41 ERA, 2.55 FIP and 136 ERA+, all of which would be career bests, across 97 2/3 innings.

The right-hander has been especially crisp since the calendar turned over to June. In his last six starts, Eovaldi has a 2.43 ERA across 37 innings with 32 strikeouts.

"He shows up every single day -- same guy every day -- works really hard, is interacting with all the players all the time. Just a positive guy," said starter Nick Pivetta of Eovaldi.

Barnes has excelled since stepping into the role of Boston’s full-time closer, logging a career-high 18 saves entering play Sunday. The right-hander's 2.75 ERA, 1.96 FIP and 170 ERA+ across 36.0 innings would be career-best tallies as well.

"He's been in the organization for a lot of years," Cora said. "The fact that now he's doing his job is amazing."