American League All-Star team adds Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras to roster

CHICAGO — Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras was named to the American League All-Star team on Tuesday as a replacement for the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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Guerrero was selected in the fan voting and announced he would skip the game and spend the break at his home in Florida to rest a sore lower back.

It’s the fourth All-Star selection for the 34-year-old Contreras and the first since 2022, when he represented the National League in his final season with the Cubs. He enters Tuesday night’s game against the White Sox hitting .284 with 20 home runs, 59 RBIs, and a .921 OPS. He also rates as one of the best defensive first basemen in the league.

The honor comes as Contreras is appealing a seven-game suspension imposed by Major League Baseball for his actions in a bench-clearing brawl in a game against the Nationals at Fenway Park on June 30.

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His appeal has not yet been scheduled by MLB. The result would not affect his status for the All-Star Game.

Contreras joins Sox closer Aroldis Chapman and starter Ranger Suarez on the AL roster.

Suarez lasted only 2⅔ innings against the Angels on Sunday because of left adductor and groin tightness. He is not on the injured list.

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