The Yankees have yet another All-Star on their team.
Masahiro Tanaka was named to the AL All-Star team on Saturday, replacing the injured Blue Jays ace Marcus Stroman on the roster.
Tanaka, 30, has had an up-and-down first half of the season, going 5-5 with a 3.86 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 105 innings this year. His best performance came June 17 against the Rays when he tossed a complete game shutout.
Still, the news was shocking to Tanaka.
"It was similar to how everybody else, including you guys reacted" he said before Saturday's game. "Pretty surprised."
This is the second time Tanaka has been named an All-Star but it will be the first time he will be able to attend. Tanaka last made the All-Star team his rookie season in 2014 but was unable to attend the game because of an elbow injury.
Tanaka is also the fifth Yankee to be named to this year's AL All-Star team, joining DJ LeMahieu, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres and Aroldis Chapman. CC Sabathia will also be at the All-Star game in Cleveland as MLB plans to honor him in his final season in the city where his career began