Red Sox Player Snubbed Again With All-Star Replacement Selection

The American League squandered an opportunity to rectify an All-Star Game oversight.

Julio Rodriguez made the AL All-Star roster over Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who’s having a superior season offensively and defensively. The two-time Silver Slugger opted out of his third All-Star appearance in four years, opening the door for Rafaela.

Instead, Rafaela got overlooked again. MLB announced Friday that Randy Arozarena will replace his Seattle Mariners teammate.

Rodriguez received an All-Star nod on name recognition despite batting .244 with 11 home runs and a career-low .687 OPS. Rafaela, on the other hand, is hitting .268/.312/.467 with 12 long balls and the most defensive runs saved (14) of any AL outfielder.

While Rodriguez is mired in a slump, batting 4-for-36 with 12 strikeouts in July, the red-hot Rafaela is 12-for-30 with six doubles and three homers this month. Adapting a more pull-oriented approach has helped the 24-year-old hit .311 with a .980 OPS in 34 games since the start of June.

Arozarena at least has a stronger All-Star case than Rodriguez. The 30-year-old landed his second All-Star nod with 15 homers, 15 steals, and a higher wRC+ (132) than Rafaela (111).

While Arozarena deserves credit for a bounce-back campaign, Rafaela’s stellar first half shouldn’t go unnoticed. His 3.1 WAR on FanGraphs ranks third among AL outfielders behind All-Stars Aaron Judge and Byron Buxton and first among all AL All-Star omissions.

Everyone will eventually take notice if Rafaela carries over his summer breakthrough into the second half. Perhaps he can make a statement to those who snubbed him during Boston’s next three games against Arozarena’s former team, the Tampa Bay Rays.