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Who replaced Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as American League’s All-Star Game starter?
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- Who replaced Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as American League’s All-Star Game starter?
Who replaced Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as American League's All-Star Game starter? appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Athletics star slugger Nick Kurtz will start at first base for the American League in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game after Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr . declined to participate. Guerrero, a six-time All-Star, chose to skip the July 14 game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia to rest an injured lower back. Kurtz earned the starting role because he received the highest number of votes among American League first basemen on the players' ballot after only just missing out in the fan voting.
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It will be the first All-Star appearance of Kurtz's career and completes a standout first half of his second Major League season. Entering the final week before the All-Star break, the 23-year-old has played 87 games, producing 20 home runs, 15 doubles, an MLB-leading 66 RBIs and a league-best 76 walks. He also lead the American League with 61 runs scored while owning a .424 on-base percentage and a .949 OPS, with both figures ranking among the league's best. Earlier this season, Kurtz matched Mark McGwire's Athletics franchise record by reaching base in 48 consecutive games.
Kurtz has continued the momentum from his breakout 2025 campaign, when he won the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year Award and a Silver Slugger after debuting in May. During the second half of last season, he recorded a 1.107 OPS in 59 games. In May 2026, he was named American League Player of the Month after hitting five home runs, driving in an MLB-best 26 runs, finishing tied for first with a 1.025 OPS, while also tying for second in the majors with 34 hits and 21 runs scored.
The All-Star Game is especially meaningful for Kurtz because it will be played in Philadelphia, around 70 to 80 miles from his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A lifelong Philadelphia Phillies fan, he grew up attending games with his family, who held season tickets for several years.
Kurtz will be joined in the American League starting lineup by Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers , who won the fan vote in Phase 2 with 65 percent of the vote to earn his first All-Star selection. Langeliers enters the break leading all American League catchers with 20 home runs while batting .264 with an .822 OPS.
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The 2026 All-Star selections continue a successful streak for the Athletics . It is the second straight season the team has produced two All-Stars after Jacob Wilson and Brent Rooker represented the team in 2025. It's also the first time since Rickey Henderson and Dave Henderson in 1991 that the Athletics have two All-Star Game starters.
Langeliers will be the franchise's first catcher to start the All-Star Game since Terry Steinbach in 1989, while Kurtz will be the Athletics' first All-Star first baseman since Matt Olson in 2021.
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