Jhonny Peralta and Kevin Youkilis Added to American League All-Star Team

Jhonny Peralta and Kevin Youkilis were announced as new members of the American league All-Star team. Peralta and Youkilis will be injury replacements on the team, and will get to play in the game on Tuesday. It marked the annual exodus of the game by star players that would rather take some time off than play for the fans that voted them into the lineup.

ESPN revealed that Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were the two players who decided to not play in the game. Jeter has been trying to recover from an injured calf, and though he is back in the lineup for the New York Yankees, wanted to take some more time off. Rodriguez is reportedly playing with an injured knee that he would prefer to rest during the next week as well.

Not many analysts felt Jeter should be in the All-Star Game, especially with the terrible season he had been having at the plate. This will allow Asdrubal Cabrera of the Cleveland Indians to move into the starting role and for Peralta of the Detroit Tigers to serve as his backup on the roster.

Jeter stated that, "It's probably best not to push it because it's most important to be ready for the second half. That's where my focus has to be." This was the 12th time that Jeter has been on the All-Star team and the 14th time that teammate Rodriguez had made the squad. Adrian Beltre will now become the starting third baseman at the All-Star Game.

Those aren't the only changes that have been made to the All-Star teams since they were announced, and it might not even be the last announcement to come out the commissioner's office. Mariano Rivera was replaced on the team by Los Angeles Angels rookie closer Jordan Walden, removing one of the best closers in the game from the equation.

Over in the National League, Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies was replaced by Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing him more time to recover. There could be quite a few replacements coming on Sunday as well, because no starting pitcher that goes for his team will be able to play in Tuesday's All-Star Game. This is a rule put in place to protect those players and their teams, and it could mean that the likes of Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander are replaced with other pitchers having decent seasons.