The Texas Rangers thought starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi deserved a berth on the American League All-Star team, but he wasn’t selected.
They decided to pay the right-hander the $100,000 All-Star bonus called for in his contract anyway, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Eovaldi, 35, is 7-3 on the season with a 1.58 ERA. He has struck out 94 batters over 91 innings in 16 starts and has a WHIP of 0.85.
While the other starters selected to the American League squad exceeded 100 innings, Eovaldi missed almost a month with right triceps fatigue, limiting his innings.
Jacob deGrom was the only representative for the Rangers in the All-Star Game but he didn’t play. The right-hander pitched for the Rangers on Saturday, throwing 90 pitches over six innings.
The 37-year-old deGrom has a 9-2 record with a 2.32 ERA over 112 1/3 innings and 19 starts.
In a controversial selection, rookie Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers was picked as a reserve for the National League squad despite making only five career starts. He is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 25 2/3 innings.