It was announced on July 4, 2021, by Major League Baseball that three players from the Dodgers will be attending the 2021 All-Star Game as reserves. Although the Dodgers do not have any starters in the 2021 All-Star Game, 28-year-old now five-time All-Star right fielder Mookie Betts, 30-year-old utility infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor, and 30-year-old now two-time All-Star first baseman Max Muncy will represent the Dodgers in the July 13 Midsummer Classic to be held at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado and managed by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman beat out Muncy to be the NL’s starting first baseman, with Muncy as his replacement or possibly as Roberts’ designated hitter. It is still unclear if Muncy, with 18 home runs as of this writing, will participate in the extremely popular Home Run Derby. He has been working through a minor ankle and oblique injury and could benefit by having some downtime during the All-Star break.

Of the three 2021 Dodgers All-Stars, Taylor is the only one who has never been on an All-Star roster.

“It’s a dream come true,” Taylor said during a media event. “When you’re a little kid playing in the backyard, you always dream of being a big-league All-Star, and you watch that All-Star Game every year, and you hope to be there someday. It’s definitely going to be a surreal experience, and I’m looking forward to taking it all in.”

Roberts couldn’t be happier for his star – and now All-Star – player.

“There’s no way to quantify it,” Roberts said of Taylor’s value and selection. “But in this particular case, for Major League Baseball and the committee to recognize what he does and the value of his versatility – whether it’s the WAR, the production in the box, whatever it is – all I know is that I said it about a month ago: ‘He’s a Major League All-Star in 2021.’ And I’m glad this is the way it played out. Couldn’t be happier for him.”

Dodgers fans were shocked not to see Mookie Betts on the All-Star team this year but pleased to know that he has made the reserve team. Betts is still one of the best baseball players and was behind Muncy with a 2.7 bWAR going into Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals.

“He’s not at his best, and he’ll be the first to tell you that,” Roberts said of Betts with his current non-Betts-like .248/.361/.456/.817 slash line. “But the beautiful thing about it is that it’s a game about the fans and a game about the players, so I’m very happy for Mookie.”

It will be great to see who – if any – other Dodgers players might be added to the National League roaster with the annual All-Star now only a week away.

Let’s Play Ball!

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