Shohei Ohtani may have just gifted the SF Giants another All-Star player

The SF Giants have two All-Star representatives in second baseman Luis Arraez and starting pitcher Logan Webb, but Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani may have just gifted them a third.

It was announced that Ohtani will not be able to participate in the All-Star game due to a knee issue. That means someone will have to take his spot on the roster and the Giants have two pretty clear candidates.

Casey Schmitt is the most obvious replacement. Ohtani was on the team as a designated hitter and Schmitt spent a good amount of time as the DH earlier in the season although he’s been moved all over the diamond as needed.

Schmitt is hitting an impressive .278/.305/.494 on the year with 18 home runs and 47 runs batted in. His low walk rate is a cause for some concern but he’s still hit the snot out of the ball and would be a more than deserving pick.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber will obviously slide in the National League starting lineup’s DH spot now but Schmitt could be on the bench and potentially come in as a pinch hitter or maybe be used as a defensive replacement at third base. With the web gems he’s made recently at third it would be great if a national audience got to see how impressive he is as a fielder.

Jung Hoo Lee is another potential alternate. He’s hitting .309/.341/.441 on the season with five home runs and 33 runs batted in. He’s cooled off the last few weeks but he’s still one of the MLB leaders in batting average. He too has made some impressive defensive plays as of late that should’ve caught the attention of those setting the roster.

Giants deserve at least one more All-Star representative

Heck, if MLB really wanted to have some fun why not extend Bryce Eldridge an invite? He’s a tall slugger who is having a great year and has a walk-off grand slam and has said he wants to participate in the Home Run Derby. If Jacob Misiorowski was an All-Star last year after pitching in five games then Eldridge would be a more than fair inclusion.

Schmitt deserves the spot though so one hopes he gets the nod now that Ohtani will not be able to participate. It’s been a rough year for the Giants so the least they can get is one more All-Star to make them feel better about things.

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