Major League Baseball released the preliminary rosters for the upcoming All-Star Futures Game and it features several big names — although one of the marquee names, Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood, won’t be available to play after being called up to the big leagues on Monday.
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Boston Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 4), San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas (No. 6), Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews (No. 7) and Detroit Tigers outfielder Max Clark (No. 8) are top-10 prospects from The Athletic’s Keith Law’s most recent top-50 MLB prospects ranking that are expected to play in the game.
The game’s brightest stars take center stage in Arlington ⭐️
Presenting the 2024 #FuturesGame rosters. pic.twitter.com/kNQwMZioeT
— MLB (@MLB) July 2, 2024
Several other notable prospects are on the list, including Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford (No. 29) and shortstop Aidan Miller (No. 30), Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (No. 12), Minnesota Twins shortstop Brooks Lee (No. 18) and Red Sox catcher Kyle Teel (No. 19).
The festivities will also include three rounds of hitting challenges for the first time. Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Termarr Johnson, Cincinnati Reds infielder Cam Collier, Nationals third baseman Brady House and Chicago Cubs catcher Moises Ballesteros will be the NL participants, while Lee, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Tre’ Morgan and Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott will form the AL team. Anthony, Morgan, House and Ballesteros are currently listed as inactive on the Futures Game rosters, but could be added to the active rosters if promotions or injuries create room ahead of the July 13th contest.
Walcott is the only member of the host Rangers on the AL roster. The dynamic shortstop — who is currently batting .235/.336/.395 in 68 games for High-A Hickory — turned 18 in March and is the youngest player on the AL squad. The youngest player on either roster is Salas, who turned 18 on June 1 and is currently batting .191/.299/.267 in 64 games for High-A Fort Wayne.
Mayer, the highest-ranked prospect on the rosters, is batting .307 with an .850 OPS in 68 games for Double-A Portland in his age-21 season. Clark, the No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, has a .753 OPS with 23 stolen bases and a .373 OBP in 64 games in his age-19 season. Clark is one of 10 2023 draft picks participating in the game in their first full professional seasons — Crews, Teel, Colorado Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander, Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder, Miami Marlins right-hander Noble Meyer, San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge, Milwaukee Brewers infielder Cooper Pratt, Cubs infielder Matt Shaw and Cleveland Guardians first baseman Ralphy Velazquez being the others. Morgan was also a 2023 draft pick.
The three-day 2024 MLB Draft will begin the day after the Futures Game, on Sunday, July 14.
(Photo of Mayer making a play in last year’s Futures Game: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
