Dodgers' Justin Turner, Walker Buehler Added to NL All-Star Team; Mookie Betts Out

Los Angeles Dodgers teammates Justin Turner and Walker Buehler were named replacements for the National League All-Star Team on Saturday.

According to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, Turner will replace Dodgers teammate Mookie Betts, who cited an injury as his reason for not participating.

Per Kyle Glaser of Baseball America, 10 All-Star replacements were named in all Saturday with six of them coming on the NL side. Of the six NL replacements, four of them are starting pitchers, including Buehler.

The Dodgers have had a total of five players named to the National League All-Star team in Betts, Turner, Buehler, first baseman Max Muncy and outfielder Chris Taylor.

Turner, 36, will be making his second career All-Star appearance after previously getting chosen for the game in 2017.

In 82 games this season, Turner is hitting .302 with 14 home runs, 45 RBI and 49 runs scored, putting him on pace for the best season of his 13-year MLB career.

Turner, who was the 2017 National League Championship Series MVP and helped the Dodgers win the World Series last season, is outperforming his strong career batting average of .293.

The 26-year-old Buehler is also now a two-time All-Star after making it for the first time in 2019.

Buehler has been the ace of the L.A. pitching staff this season, going 8-1 with a 2.49 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 108.1 innings over 17 starts.

The veteran righty has built upon his outstanding playoff performance last season when he went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts for the eventual World Series champion Dodgers.

While Betts won't play in the All-Star Game, he will get credit for his fifth career All-Star nod and his first as a member of the Dodgers.

In 77 games this season, Betts is slashing .245/.352/.446 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI, 51 runs scored and seven stolen bases.

Betts finished second in the NL MVP voting last season, but there was no All-Star Game since the season was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, Betts was named an All-Star in four straight seasons with the Boston Red Sox.

At 54-35, the Dodgers have the second-best record in the NL this season, and they trail the San Francisco Giants by two games for the NL West lead.

Turner, Buehler, Muncy and Taylor will look to make an impact for the NL All-Star team when they clash with the AL in the 2021 MLB All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday night.