Lowe, Berrios, Bogaerts added to ASG roster
Tampa Bay's Brandon Lowe, Minnesota's José Berríos and Boston's Xander Bogaerts have been named to the American League roster to replace Los Angeles' Tommy La Stella, Minnesota's Jake Odorizzi and Texas' Hunter Pence for the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX) in Cleveland.
La Stella, Odorizzi and Pence all will miss the game due to injury but still can participate in the festivities at Progressive Field.
Lowe has been enjoying a terrific rookie season for the Rays, making him the clear-cut No. 1 AL choice in MLB.com’s latest Rookie of the Year poll. The third-round pick in the 2015 Draft, who will turn 25 on Saturday, played 43 MLB games last year before signing a six-year extension with Tampa Bay in the offseason.
The deal is working out nicely for the Rays, with Lowe batting .276/.339/.523 with 17 doubles, 16 home runs and 49 RBIs in 76 games. While he has spent the bulk of his time at second base, Lowe also has filled in at first base and the corner outfield spots.
This is the second All-Star selection for Bogaerts, who started for the AL in 2016 and went 1-for-2 with a double. The 26-year-old Red Sox shortstop is in the midst of what could be his best season, with career highs in on-base percentage (.392) and slugging percentage (.541).
Bogaerts entered Wednesday ranking in the top 10 in the AL in OBP (fourth), OPS (sixth), runs (tied for second), hits (tied for seventh), doubles (first), and total bases (fifth).
Berríos replaces his Twins rotation-mate, Odorizzi, and will hope to make his second consecutive All-Star Game appearance. In 2018, he pitched a scoreless fifth inning, working around a two-out walk.
Berríos, scheduled to start Thursday at Oakland, is 8-4 with a 2.89 ERA (sixth-best in the AL) in 17 outings this year, with 102 strikeouts and 20 walks in 112 innings (fourth-most in the AL). He has completed at least six innings 15 times, in part by slashing his walk rate to 4.4%, the third-lowest mark among AL qualifiers.
La Stella, a first-time All-Star, sustained a shin contusion when he fouled a ball off his right leg Tuesday night in Texas. Odorizzi, also selected for the first time, was placed on the injured list after leaving his start at Oakland on Tuesday night with a blister on his right middle finger. Pence, voted as the AL starter at designated hitter, re-aggravated a right groin injury during a Minor League rehab game, after originally going on the IL on June 17.