The Astros had four players selected for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, but two of those four will not participate in the event.
Second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa both confirmed Thursday that they would be skipping the July 13 game in Denver.
Neither player was voted to the American League’s starting lineup — Marcus Semien (Blue Jays) and Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox) will man second and short, respectively — but they said that didn’t have anything to do with their decisions.
So, why are Altuve and Correa skipping the All-Star Game? They explained their reasoning to reporters Thursday.
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Why isn’t Jose Altuve playing in the All-Star Game?
Altuve said he isn’t participating in the All-Star Game because he is dealing with a minor leg injury. He wants to get four days of rest before the second half of the season begins.
“I really think I need those four days to get everything right on my leg and be healthy for the second half, because I feel like the team needs me 100 percent,” Altuve said, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.
Altuve’s selection was the seventh of his career, which tied him with Craig Biggio for the most by any player in Astros history. He was not named an All-Star in 2019 or 2020.
Altuve has played in 75 of the Astros’ first 89 games this season and has posted a slash line of .282/.366/.502 with 19 home runs.
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Why isn’t Carlos Correa playing in the All-Star Game?
Correa spoke about his desire to remain home with his pregnant wife during a rare break in the baseball season.
“Baseball is really important to me, but family will always come first,” Correa said. “I’m grateful for everybody that voted for me to be in the All-Star Game. Baseball means the world to me, but I want to be with my family this time, especially with my wife, spending this time with her. It’s our first child, so I need that time.”
Correa said that he didn’t take the decision lightly but determined that staying home was best for him.
“It’s a tough decision,” he said. “People voted for me to be in it. People want to see me play in it, but we’ve been trying now for a long time to have our first child, and now that it’s finally there in her belly, I want to be able to spend those days with her.”
Correa’s selection was the second of his career. He has played in 82 games this season and has posted a .288/.385/.510 slash line with 16 home runs.
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