Royals Have Third All-Star As $22 Million Man Replaces Rangers' Jacob deGrom
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Make it three All-Stars for the Kansas City Royals.
The All-Star Game rosters were revealed on Sunday, but inevitably, players have been pulling out of the festivities all week. Jacob deGrom of the Texas Rangers, who made his fifth All-Star team and is having his first healthy season since 2020, became the latest to opt out of the game on Friday.
That was to the benefit of the Royals' closer. Carlos Estévez is headed to Atlanta to represent the American League in the Midsummer Classic as deGrom's replacement. Major League Baseball's official social media accounts broke the news on Friday afternoon.
Estévez, who will be making his second All-Star appearance (his first came 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels), was more than deserving. His 2.03 ERA is fifth among major league relievers with at least 40 innings pitched, and he leads the AL with 25 saves (28 opportunities).
Over the winter, Estévez signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Royals that includes a club option for 2027. He's not only been worth every dime, but in hindsight, it was a wonder more teams weren't in on him at that price point. He'd been excellent in 2024 as well for the Angels and Philadelphia Phillies.
Estévez joins Royals teammates Bobby Witt Jr. and Kris Bubic as the team's All-Star representatives this season. He's only the fourth reliever on the AL roster, joining the Boston Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman, the Houston Astros' Josh Hader, and the Seattle Mariners' Andrés Muñoz.
After this weekend's series against the New York Mets, Royals fans can wait to see if Estévez gets into the game in Atlanta on Tuesday.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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