Dodgers pitcher snubbed then added as replacement All-Star after injury scratch

Justin Wrobleski heard Dave Roberts say this week he thought the kid deserved to be an All-Star. Now he gets to go.

The Dodgers officially added a sixth player to the National League roster Saturday when Wrobleski replaced Chase Burns, who pulled out with a groin injury. It’s the kind of break that can change a season for a young pitcher — but it’s also one Wrobleski earned.

Roberts was blunt earlier in the week when asked about Wrobleski getting passed over during the initial selections. The skipper pointed to the pitcher’s 10 wins, a 2.69 ERA and the reality that the Dodgers run a six-man rotation, which can hurt a guy’s counting stats.

“I just don’t want him to get dinged for not making a couple more starts,” Roberts told The Athletic on Tuesday. “To be able to get pitching decisions, you’ve got to go deeper in games. It’s about winning, the ERA is stellar, innings per outing. I just think that he’s performed enough to earn that opportunity.”

An All-Star nod that almost didn’t happen

Wrobleski went 10-3 over 15 appearances this year. He gave up two runs or fewer in nine of those starts. For a Dodgers staff that has dealt with injuries up and down the rotation — some serious, some nagging, all disruptive — Wrobleski’s reliability has been almost as valuable as his raw numbers.

His case was strong enough that even Hyeseong Kim, who hasn’t been on the big league roster since May, was a top-10 vote-getter at his position earlier in the process. That tells you everything about how much All-Star buzz the Dodgers generated this season. But Wrobleski’s actual play carried more weight than buzz. He has been one of the better arms on a pitching staff loaded with top-end talent.

Now he gets the midsummer showcase. Burns’ injury opened the door, but Wrobleski had already done the work to walk through it.