Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker was the latest to commit to Monday’s Home Run Derby, leaving the event at Atlanta one participant short of a full field.
Rooker, who was named to the American League All-Star roster as a reserve Sunday, has 19 home runs and 50 RBIs through 94 games after hitting 39 home runs last season and 30 in 2023.
Rooker’s intent to participate comes after the Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero joined the eight-player field Wednesday. Caminero has 22 home runs and 58 RBIs in 87 games of his first full major league season.
Other confirmed participants include Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins.
Among the players to turn down an invite to the eight-player field are two-time champion Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies and 2024 runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.
Defending champion Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers recently turned down a spot as a consideration to nagging injuries.
Top power threats Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers also are expected to skip the event.
–Field Level Media
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