Francisco Lindor Named All-Star Game Starter

At long last, Francisco Lindor has secured a spot on the National League All-Star Team as a member of the New York Mets and will start at the Midsummer Classic for the first time in his career.

Lindor moved on to Phase 2 of All-Star voting as one of the top two finishers among NL shortstops alongside Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts, whom he ultimately bested en route to clinching his spot as a starter. Balloting began on Monday and ran through noon EST today before the results were revealed on ESPN.

Following his rookie season with the Cleveland Guardians in 2015, Lindor earned four-straight All-Star nods from 2016 to 2019. He never started during that stretch, however, and will now have the opportunity to do so at Truist Park on July 15.

Lindor’s exclusion from the All-Star roster since joining the Mets ahead of the 2021 season had stuck out like a sore thumb, particularly after not making it in 2024 despite finishing second in NL MVP voting and recording the sixth-most fWAR (7.8) of any position player in the league.

The 31-year-old has struggled at the plate since breaking his toe on a hit-by-pitch against the Dodgers on June 4, evidenced by a .628 OPS last month, though he is still boasting a .255/.324/.442 slash line with 16 home runs. Furthermore, his 3.0 fWAR coming into the day was tied for the 14th-most among all qualified position players.

The rest of the All-Star rosters will be announced this Sunday on ESPN at 5 p.m.

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