Marcus Semien OK With All-Star Game Move From Leadoff to No. 9

The former Cal star says that's probably where he deserves to be in tonight's mid-summer baseball event

Marcus Semien talks with reporters /

Marcus Semien, who has batted leadoff in 316 consecutive starts for the Texas Rangers, will be in the No. 9 slot in the American League lineup for Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.

He was slotted there by his own manager, AL skipper Bruce Bochy.

“If you’re looking at stats, that’s probably where I should be,” the 33-year-old Cal alum said. “But I’m second leadoff now.”

Bochy, who guided the Rangers to their first World Series title last season, said it wasn’t fun informing his second baseman of his lineup decision. 

“I tried to avoid him yesterday as much as possible,” Bochy said, joking with reporters during Monday’s All-Star media session. “But really, we sat down and talked about it and Marcus would have hit wherever we asked him to, but he looked at me and said, ‘If I was you, I’d probably hit me last, too.’ ”

The All-Star Game starts at 5 p.m. on FOX.

Semien is an All-Star for the third time. Here’s where that puts him among Golden Bears with the most appearances at the mid-summer event:

— 5: Jeff Kent, second base (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005)

— 4: Andy Messersmith, pitcher (1971, 1974, 1975, 1976)

— 3: Marcus Semien, second base (2021, 2023, 2024)

— 3: Jackie Jensen, outfield (1952, 1955, 1958)

Semien is starting only because Houston’s Jose Altuve, voted as a starter, withdrew from the game because of a sore hand. Bochy said he expects to give Semien one at-bat before pulling him from the game.

A year after finishing third in the AL MVP voting for the third time in five seasons, Semien has had a tougher time in 2024. He is hitting .242 with 13 home runs and 51 runs batted in. His .703 OPS is the lowest among any AL team member, according to the Dallas News.

But after hitting just .085 (4 for 47) over an 11-game stretch through July 7, Semien closed the unofficial first half of the season at a .435 clip (10 for 23) over the past six games.

On Monday, Semien shared with reporters how he feels about the A’s leading Oakland, where he played his first half-dozen seasons in the majors.

“I do miss home a lot,” Semien said. “I’m sad the A’s are leaving. I don’t get to play in front of Mom and Dad in Oakland anymore.”

The A’s are scheduled to play next season in Sacramento as their new ballpark in Las Vegas is constructed. Semien said he feels worst for Oakland’s fans.

“It’s tough. I think they have a lot of talent coming and I wish the fans in Oakland could see that talent,” he said. “We had a good thing going there with our ball club, talking about 2018, ’19 and ’20. They have the ability to do that too, but it’s going to be somewhere else. So it’s just sad for those fans.”