By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber of the host Philadelphia Phillies will lead off for the National League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game as the replacement for designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who is skipping the showcase to have a knee procedure ahead of the season’s second half.
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Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene and two New York Yankees, first baseman Ben Rice and outfielder Cody Bellinger, gained American League starting spots because of injuries.
Rice, third in the major leagues with 29 home runs behind Schwarber (32) and the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez (31), starts at first because Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is skipping the game to rest a bad back. Guerrero’s initial replacement, the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz, sprained a thumb.
Bellinger replaced Yankees teammate Aaron Judge, who hasn’t played since May 31 because of a fractured rib. Greene took over from Minnesota Twins outfielder Bryon Buxton, sidelined by a hip injury. Bellinger will be in right and Greene in left.
Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sánchez and Toronto right-hander Dylan Cease were announced as starting pitchers on Sunday.
Even without Ohtani, NL manager Dave Roberts of the two-time champion Dodgers has three of his players in the starting lineup along with two Phillies and two Atlanta Braves.
New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto bats second, followed by Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, Washington shortstop CJ Abrams, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies, Phillies right fielder Brandon Marsh, Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.
AL manager John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays has Angels center fielder Mike Trout leading off, followed by Alvarez at designated hitter, Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Bellinger, Rice, Green, Rice and Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement.
Sánchez will be the 14th pitcher to start an All-Star Game in his home ballpark, the first since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2022. He will be the Phillies’ first All-Star starting pitcher since Roy Halladay in 2011.
Cease will be the Blue Jays’ first All-Star starting pitcher since Halladay in 2009.
MATTINGLY COACHING AGAINST HIS FORMER BLUE JAYS
Don Mattingly felt a tinge of awkwardness when he was offered the chance to serve as a coach under Dodgers manager Dave Roberts at the All-Star Game.
Mattingly passed on a guaranteed spot in the AL dugout when he left his job as Toronto’s bench coach to manager John Schneider after the World Series, which the Blue Jays lost in seven games to the Dodgers.
A six-time AL All-Star, Mattingly thought at the time he was finished with baseball.
He’s not only still in the game – he’s now the interim manager for the Phillies and has them back in the thick of the playoff race.
He’ll also coach against Schneider and his Blue Jays staff on Tuesday night.
“It is weird being on the other side,” Mattingly said Monday. “I was kind of torn a little bit. But then I go home and my 11-year-old asked me, ‘Do we get to go on the field for Home Run Derby?’ It’s like, OK, well, I’m done with that. He made that decision.”
Mattingly is taking directions from a pair of his sons in Philadelphia.
Mattingly originally took the job in Philadelphia to serve as former manager Rob Thomson’s bench coach at the urging of his young son, Louis.
“He was kind of like, ‘Dad, you can’t stop. You’ve got to keep going,’” Mattingly said in January.
Mattingly kept going and joined a Phillies organization where another son, Preston, is the general manager.
Mattingly said in November he left his role in Toronto after reaching his first World Series because of a desire to spend more time with his family.
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It’s one big family reunion in Philly.
Blue Jays All-Star second baseman Ernie Clement said Mattingly was missed in Toronto.
“It’s awesome that he teamed up with Preston,” Clement said. “They’re just doing a great job.”
Mattingly is 45-24 with the Phillies since he took over when Thomson was fired in late April after they had lost 11 of 12 games and were tied for last in the majors. Led by All-Stars Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, Jhoan Duran, Jesús Luzardo and NL starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez, the Phillies are just two games back of Atlanta in the NL East.
Mattingly has said he would be interested in having the interim tag removed and possibly returning for a second season as manager. He said Monday he wanted to table that discussion until the offseason.
Mattingly is in his 23rd straight season as a major league manager and coach, having managed the Dodgers and the Miami Marlins.
Mattingly played 14 seasons as a first baseman in the major leagues, all for the Yankees, from 1982-95. The 1985 AL MVP, he captained the Yankees in his final five seasons. He never reached the playoffs until 1995, when he hit .417 with a homer and six RBIs in the five-game AL Division Series loss to Seattle.
The 65-year-old Mattingly said he feels “as grateful as can be” for his career, even if it ends without a World Series ring.
“I’ve been in this game for a long time,” Mattingly said. “I’ve done a lot of tremendous things for my family. I don’t feel unlucky at all.”
HARPER AT ODDS WITH FANDUEL
Phillies slugger Bryce Harper said he did not know a Cameo video he recorded would be used by FanDuel as a reward for a VIP customer who later sued the sportsbook, saying it took advantage of his gambling addiction.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported last week that a fan named Terry Thompson had wagered $18.5 million with FanDuel and was eventually rewarded with a personalized video from Harper.
In the video, Harper addressed the fan by name and even mentioned the man’s young son. Harper shared a screenshot Monday of the request on Cameo, an app that allows users to pay celebrities to record custom videos. FanDuel obtained the video through a partnership with Cameo.
“Had I known FanDuel’s true intent, I would not have made the video,” Harper said. “The same is true had I known anything about Terry or his situation, or about any alleged ‘partnership’ between Cameo and FanDuel.”
The Inquirer reported Thompson lost $1.5 million, according to a lawsuit that the Public Health Advocacy Institute filed in March in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia on behalf of Thompson and against FanDuel and DraftKings. Thompson also was reported to have lost money to DraftKings.
The video was marked with FanDuel’s logo. Harper said in the video he reached out at the request of Thompson’s VIP manager on the site, “your host Bryttanni at FanDuel.”
Harper addressed the situation on a social media post Monday, hours ahead of his scheduled participation in the Home Run Derby.
“I did not know FanDuel would do this,” Harper wrote. “I did not consent to it, and FanDuel had no right to do it.”
Asked for comment, FanDuel said it was “committed to fostering a culture of responsible gaming and protecting our customers.
“Unlike illegal offshore sportsbooks, FanDuel employees are trained to recognize and flag signs of problem gambling and offer resources and tools, and we continue to review and strengthen our policies to ensure we have the industry’s strongest consumer protection initiatives.”
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Cameo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
AP sports writer Dan Gelston contributed to this story.