New York Yankees Slugger Joins Judge as All-Star Game Starter

New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto will make his first All-Star Game appearance in pinstripes later this month.

Jun 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) takes batting practice before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball announced the starting lineups for the American and National League All-Star teams on Wednesday, and New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto was elected to start alongside his teammate, Aaron Judge, in the outfield.

The pair will be on the field on July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Judge was already in after he led all players in voting after the first phase of fan voting. That left Soto to slug it out with three other players for the remaining two outfield spots. The voting was spread out, but Soto received enough to get the starting nod.

Soto will make his fourth straight All-Star Game appearance and his third for a different team. His others came with Washington (2021-22) and San Diego (2023) in the National League, including last year as a reserve for the Padres. This will be his first starting nod in an All-Star Game.

Cleveland’s Steven Kwan finished behind Soto in voting and earned the third spot. He and Soto beat out Baltimore’s Anthony Santander and Houston’s Kyle Tucker.

The Yankees had two players in last year’s All-Star Game — Judge and pitcher Gerrit Cole. The latter has missed most of the season due to injury, but odds are at least one members of the Yankees’ pitching staff will be selected, most likely rookie Luis Gil.

Judge was a starter last year and is making his sixth All-Star Game appearance.

The American League starting infield will include Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman, Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Houston second baseman Jose Altuve, Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Cleveland third baseman José Ramírez. Houston’s Yordan Alvarez is the designated hitter.

The starting infield for the National League will include Milwaukee catcher William Contreras, Philadelphia first baseman Bryce Harper, Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte, Philadelphia shortstop Trea Turner and Philadelphia third baseman Alec Bohm. The outfielders are San Diego’s Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr., along with Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers will be the designated hitter.

The reserves and the pitching staffs will be announced this weekend. Those selections are based on a player vote and selections by MLB.

The All-Star festivities start on Friday, July 12, with the HBCU Swingman Classic at Globe Life Field. Saturday brings the MLB Futures game, with Yankees outfield prospect Spender Jones and pitching prospect Brock Selvidge selected to participate. The MLB Draft starts on Sunday, followed by the Home Run Derby on Monday and the All-Star Game on Tuesday.