New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler will not pitch in Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game despite putting together an American League-leading season on the mound.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Schlittler informed the team of his decision, which was based on his regular between-starts routine rather than any injury concerns. The 25-year-old owns an AL-best 2.05 ERA with a 9-5 record and 137 strikeouts over 118.2 innings across 20 starts.
“He came in today, talked to me about it, made that decision,” Boone said. “Just feels like on his recovery day to go back out there throwing 100 mph is something that I think he felt a little apprehensive about.”
Shortly after Schlittler’s decision became public, the Toronto Blue Jays announced Dylan Cease will start for the American League. The National League will counter with Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez at Citizens Bank Park.
Schlittler is coming off a strong outing in Saturday’s 4-2 victory over the Washington Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits over 6.2 innings while throwing 99 pitches.
Although he won’t take the mound, Schlittler will still travel to Philadelphia for All-Star festivities alongside Yankees teammates Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger. He told the New York Daily News he plans to be Rice’s “Gatorade guy” during Monday’s Home Run Derby and will have several family members in attendance.
Schlittler joins Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Webb, and Shohei Ohtani among the notable players who will not participate in this year’s All-Star Game.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.