Dave Roberts crushes players who skip MLB All-Star Game; ‘It’s an honor’

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will be managing the National League All-Stars at the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night. This will be the fifth time that Roberts has gotten the honor of managing the National League team, and the second straight season. Still, not everyone who has been invited to the event will be participating. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler has declined an invite to the game after initially being snubbed.

Now, Roberts is addressing all players who have decided to skip the All-Star game, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

“Dodgers and NL All Star manager Dave Roberts reiterates that he wishes players who are selected to the All Star Game actually play in the game: ‘I’ve always believed that it’s an honor. It’s a huge honor to be named an All Star, to be able to participate in this game,’” Nightengale posted on X, formerly Twitter.

It is a laundry list of players who will not be participating in the All-Star game this year. In the American League, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,  Aaron Judge, and Byron Buxton were all elected as starters, but will be out of the game due to injuries. Meanwhile, Nick Kurtz, who became a starter in place of Guerrero, is also out with an injury. Ranger Suarez is also out after heading to the IL with a groin strain.

In the National League, Jacob Misiorowski, Max Meyer, and Paul Skenes were all replaced after being scheduled to pitch on the Sunday before the All-Star break. Braxton Ashcraft also became ineligible to pitch after throwing 98 pitches for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.  Chase Burns is also out, deciding to recover from a tight right groin. Shohei Ohtani is out while nursing left-knee inflammation.

While many of the players have valid excuses, it is still disappointing that some of the best in the majors will not be playing in the game. This is a disappointment not only for the fans, but also for the National League manager.

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