SAN DIEGO — Padres infielder Luis Arraez announced on Sunday that he will not participate in Tuesday’s All-Star Game presented by MasterCard. This decision came after San Diego concluded the first half of the season with a 6-3 loss to the Braves at Petco Park.
Arraez, who was absent in the first-half finale, has been dealing with a jammed left thumb since late June. Despite this, he was named an All-Star for the third consecutive season last week, representing a third different team. He was previously an All-Star with Minnesota in 2022 and Miami in 2023.
Arraez will travel to Texas to join the All-Star festivities with his family, but due to his thumb injury, he has decided to sit out the game, stating, “I need the rest.”
After a three-hit performance on Saturday, Arraez enters the break with a .310 batting average, aiming for his third consecutive batting title. Padres manager Mike Shildt indicated that the injury is unlikely to require a stint on the injured list.
If the Padres were to back-date an IL stint to Saturday, Arraez would only need to miss four more games due to the All-Star break and an off-day on July 22.
“We didn’t think that was necessary,” Shildt said. “We knew the break was coming. We trust the player. … Three ropes yesterday, so he kind of made his case to be available and be active.”
