Mets' Kodai Senga Headlines NL Pitching Replacements for 2023 MLB All-Star Game

New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga will be going to the All-Star Game in his first MLB season after being named a replacement for Chicago Cubs ace Marcus Stroman.

Senga was among four National League team replacement pitchers named on Saturday for Tuesday's All-Star Game in Seattle.

San Francisco Giants starter Alex Cobb, Philadelphia Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel and Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes will join him.

The 30-year-old Senga, who spent 2012-2022 playing for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball before leaving Japan's top league for MLB, has gone 7-5 with a 3.31 ERA and 113 strikeouts.

He most recently polished off eight-inning, 12-strikeout gem on the road against the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks en route to leading the Mets to a 2-1 victory.

All four pitchers initially named to the NL All-Star roster are skipping the Midsummer Classic for various reasons.

Stroman has opted to rest and recharge for the second half. Milwaukee Brewers star reliever Devin Williams will still be in attendance but will not participate due to recent workload, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider is on the bump Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays and will therefore be unavailable. Teammate Bryce Elder follows him in the rotation Sunday, so he's out too.

As for the replacements, Cobb is a big reason why the Giants are in the playoff picture, going 6-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 86 strikeouts.

After a rough start to the season (5.85 ERA through May), Kimbrel has settled down and dominated for the scorching-hot Phils, throwing 13 straight scoreless innings. He has 14 saves on the year.

Burnes, who has now made his third straight All-Star game, has gone 7-5 with a 3.94 ERA and 102 strikeouts. The 2021 NL Cy Young winner posted a 2.62 ERA from 2020-2022.

This year's All-Star Game will go down on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET from Seattle's T-Mobile Park.