MLB Player News

The National League All Star reserves and pitchers were announced on Monday evening, and there was no room for the reigning National League MVP.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was not selected for the All Star team, although he's one of five candidates to take the final spot on the roster in the Final Vote. 

Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant made the team as an injury replacement for the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton. Bryant is one of two rookies on the team, along with Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson. 

The Pirates sent two starting pitchers to the All Star team for the first time since 1960. MLB wins leader Gerrit Cole and fellow Pittsburgh starter A.J. Burnett will both be making their first appearance. 

National League reserves are:

Catchers: Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers; Yadier Molina, Cardinals
First basemen: Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers; Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
Second basemen: DJ LeMahieu, Rockies; Joe Panik, Giants
Third basemen: Nolan Arenado, Rockies; Kris Bryant, Cubs
Shortstop: Brandon Crawford, Giants
Outfielders: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates; Joc Pederson, Dodgers; A.J. Pollock, Diamondbacks; Justin Upton, Padres

National League pitchers are:

Madison Bumgarner, Giants; A.J. Burnett, Pirates; Aroldis Chapman, Reds; RHP: Gerrit Cole, Pirates; Jacob deGrom, Mets; Zack Greinke, Dodgers; Mark Melancon, Pirates; Shelby Miller, Braves; Jonathan Papelbon, Phillies; Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers; Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals; Max Scherzer, Nationals; Michael Wacha, Cardinals

The five candidates for the Final Vote are:

Johnny Cueto, Reds; Jeurys Familia, Mets; Carlos Martinez, Cardinals; Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers; Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Giants.

Harper is hitting .414 with 12 hits, six doubles, a home runs and three RBI over his last seven games.

The American League starters for the 2015 All-Star Game on July 14 were announced Sunday. The Royals will send four starters to the Summer Classic, with Salvador Perez, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon leading the votes in their respective positions.

Angels outfielder Mike Trout will make his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance. He received the most votes of any outfielder and the second most on the AL roster.

Catcher: Salvador Perez, Royals
First baseman: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers (injured)
Second baseman: Jose Altuve, Astros
Third baseman: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays (top AL vote-getter)
Shortstop: Alcides Escobar, Royals
Outfield: Mike Trout, Angels
Outfield: Lorenzo Cain, Royals
Outfield: Alex Gordon, Royals
Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz , Mariners

The National League starters for the All-Star Game were announced Sunday, and leading the way after an impressive first half is Nationals slugger Bryce Harper, who racked up nearly 14 million votes to pace the field. 

Harper entered Sunday's game with a .344 average, 25 home runs and 60 RBIs, numbers that have him squarely in the conversation for the Triple Crown. He'll be joined in Cincinnati by players from an array of teams, unlike the AL's Royals-heavy squad. 

Catcher: Buster Posey, Giants
First baseman: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Second baseman: Dee Gordon, Marlins
Third baseman: Todd Frazier, Reds
Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals
Outfield: Bryce Harper, Nationals
Outfield: Matt Holliday, Cardinals
Outfield: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins 

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen went 1 for 3 with a walk in Sunday's win over Cleveland. 

McCutchen drove in two runs, giving him 51 on the year. His 22nd double extended his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games. He's hitting .366 over the streak. 

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez continued his impressive first half, blasting his 23rd homer of the season in Detroit's loss to Toronto on Sunday. 

For Martinez, it's the second straight game in which he's homered, and the seventh time he's gone deep in the last 10 contests. Martinez is just one home run behind Albert Pujols for the AL lead. 

Martinez now has 15 RBIs in his last 10 games as well, increasing his total on the campaign to 56, three shy of AL leader Mark Teixeira. 

The Cubs activated outfielder Jorge Soler from the disabled list Sunday, reports the Daily Herald.

Soler will hit sixth and play right field in Sunday's game against the Marlins. Soler has been sidelined since June 3 with a sprained left ankle.

To make room for Soler, the team optioned Matt Szczur to Triple-A. Szczur is hitting .211 with one home run and eight RBI in his last 32 games.

The Cubs are set to activate right fielder Jorge Soler from the disabled list on Sunday. Soler has been out since June 3 with a sprained left ankle, but he has made four rehab outings.

Soler struggled though, going 2 for 13 in the four games. But manager Joe Maddon doesn't necessarily buy into those stats.

"I don't worry about that stuff," Maddon said, per MLB.com. "To me, it's a matter of, 'If he's healthy and he's seeing the ball, what does his timing look like?' Those are the kinds of things you're trying to get from the guys down there."

Soler is expected to be in the lineup for the series-finale against the Marlins on Sunday. He was batting .237 (9 for 38) with a homer and five RBI over his last 10 games prior to the injury.

Making his first start in nearly a week, Phillies left fielder Darin Ruf connected for a three-run home run on Saturday against the Braves. It wasn't enough, however, as the Braves would hang on for the 9-5 victory.

Ruf's home run came in the fifth inning, but the Braves were already comfortably ahead 9-1 at the time. It was his only hit of the evening, and his fourth home run of the season--his first since May 17.

Tigers left fielder Yoenis Cespedes went 3 for 5 in Saturday's win over Toronto. 

Cespedes has four hits over the last two games. He doubled for the second straight day and has 24 for the season. 

Cespedes drove in his 44th run of the season.