Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will not partake in July's Home Run Derby so that he can preserve his wrist health and focus on the second half of the season, according to Shi Davidi. Guerrero had previously suffered wrist soreness in May, and said that he views abstaining from the Derby as a precautionary measure.
Guerrero, 23 years old, entered Tuesday hitting .268/.360/.506 (145 OPS+) in his first 72 games this season. He was also tied with Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley for ninth place in Major League Baseball with 18 home runs, some 10 behind New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.
"I think (the wrist) is something that I'm going to have to (manage) for the rest of my career, so I just want to make sure that I keep doing all my exercises and everything that I have to do to keep it healthy," Guerrero told Davidi. "I told them that I wasn't going to be able to do (the derby) because I preferred to rest and be ready for the second half to help the team win games."
Guerrero partook in the 2019 Home Run Derby as a rookie and hit a record 91 home runs over the duration of the event while finishing second. (New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso won.) The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 All-Star Game, and Guerrero has now since passed on both the 2021 and 2022 editions.
It's unclear who else MLB has reached out to about populating this year's field. Our own Matt Snyder provided his dream bracket on Monday.
The Derby is scheduled to take place on Monday, July 18 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The 2022 All-Star Game, meanwhile, will take place on Tuesday, July 19 from the same venue.
