Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler is out of the All-Star Game Tuesday, and a first-time selection will replace him.
San Diego Padres pitcher Adrian Morejon has been named to his first All-Star team to replace Wheeler, Major League Baseball announced Friday afternoon.
Morejon, a 26-year-old Havana native who defected from Cuba in 2015, will participate in his first All-Star Game in his seventh year in MLB. He has been a rock for the Padres' bullpen this season, going 7–3 with a 1.71 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 42 innings.
San Diego now has five All-Stars; Morejon will join pitcher Jason Adam, third baseman Manny Machado, pitcher Robert Suarez, and outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.
Wheeler, the National League's 35-year-old strikeout leader, had been due to make his third All-Star appearance amid his continuing late-career success.
Morejon's Padres are currently 50–43, third in the NL West division and 5.5 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.