Rays' Lowe out of ASG, replaced by Yanks' Torres

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. --Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a bruised right shin and will not play in next week's All-Star Game.

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres was named to replace Lowe, who was added to the American League All-Star team Wednesday.

"I just can't be a nonfactor," said Lowe, who is using crutches. "Waking up the first night was tough. But came in, got treatment a few times and feel a lot better. Just trying to get better."

Lowe, hitting .276 with team-best 16 homers and 49 RBIs, is hopeful of returning right after the All-Star break. He took the spot of Los Angeles Angels infielder Tommy La Stella as an injury replacement and still plans to attend the All-Star Game in Cleveland.

Torres, who entered Thursday hitting .298 with 19 homers and 50 RBIs, was named an All-Star last season but couldn't play because of a right hip injury.

"It's a dream come true to for sure play in the All-Star Game," Torres said ahead of the Yankees-Rays game at Tropicana Field on Thursday. "I'm super excited. I can't wait to go to Cleveland and play for the first time."

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Torres is now only the third player in Yankees history to have made two All-Star Games before turning 23. Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle also hold that distinction. Willie Randolph earned his second All-Star selection just three weeks after his 23rd birthday in 1977.

"In his very reserved way, I could tell he was excited," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said about his phone call with Torres earlier in the day.

Just Wednesday night, Boone was critical of the All-Star selection process, calling it a "joke" that Torres had been not only overlooked in the fan voting period, but that he also had been overlooked as a first alternate.

"Gleyber Torres not an All-Star? You can kick rocks on that one. That's ridiculous," Boone said ahead of the Yankees' Subway Series finale against the New York Mets.

"He's been unbelievable for us. First-place club, the offensive consistency he's had, the power, the on-base [percentage], the playing both positions in the middle infield. Yeah, it doesn't seem right to me that he isn't on that team."

The All-Star switch from Lowe to Torres came hours before the AL East-leading Yankees and second-place Rays were to start a four-game series.

Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier also was out of the lineup against New York. Kiermaier has a sore left wrist, but the Gold Glove winner expects to play Friday night

"My wrist will be fine, I'm not worried about it in the slightest," Kiermaier said. "Just the midsummer blues that you go through little things."

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was rested, which is something Boone plans to do with some of his regulars this weekend.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.