The Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Now they are tied for having the most All-Stars, too.

Zach McKinstry was picked Wednesday to replace Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who has been dealing with a rib injury. The infielder-outfielder will join Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders Javier Báez and Riley Greene — all AL starters — and staff ace Tarik Skubal, who also is among the candidates to start the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta.

The five All-Stars for Detroit is tied for the most with the World Series champion Dodgers, who have DH Shohei Ohtani, catcher Will Smith and first baseman Freddie Freeman starting for the NL along with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Yamamoto is scheduled to start Sunday for Los Angeles, so Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott has been picked to replace him.

McKinstry was among several replacements announced Wednesday for the Midsummer Classic.

Houston third baseman Isaac Paredes was chosen for the AL team in place of starting third baseman José Ramírez, the seven-time All-Star, who wants to spend the week rehabbing an Achilles injury; Twins right-hander Joe Ryan was selected as the replacement for Astros pitcher Hunter Brown; and Brewers closer Trevor Megill was added to the NL team in place of teammate Freddy Peralta, their scheduled starter for Sunday’s game against Washington.

The shuffling of replacements gives the Astros four All-Stars in Paredes, Peña, Brown and pitcher Josh Hader. The Brewers have two in Megill and Peralta. And the Twins have two with Ryan joining two-time All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton.

“This was the goal in the offseason,” said Megill, who struck out Freeman, Andy Pages and Tommy Edman in order in the 10th inning to secure the Brewers’ 3-2 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday. “Just worked my butt off for it, and here we are.”

The four replacements make six total and 71 players players between the two All-Star teams. The other sub announced was Rays third baseman Junior Caminero for Boston’s Alex Bregman, who has been dealing with a strained right quadriceps.

The Tigers have been one of the surprise stories of the first half of the season. After going 86-76 and tying for second in the AL Central last season, they are off to a 59-35 start even after a 7-3 loss to the Rays in their series finale Wednesday night.

The versatile McKinstry has been a big reason why.

Along with playing every infield position besides catcher, and both corner outfield spots, McKinstry entered Wednesday hitting .283 with seven homers and 27 RBIs. The 30-year-old needs just three more homers and nine RBIs to set career highs.

Peña, who is hitting a career-best .322 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 82 games for Houston, has been out since June 28 with a fractured rib. He had hoped to return by the All-Star break but has not been cleared to resume baseball activity.

Paredes, his teammate, is headed to his second straight All-Star Game in his first season in Houston. He is hitting a career-best .255 with 19 homers and 49 RBIs for the Astros, who have a comfortable lead over Seattle in the NL West.

“My main focus is to work hard for the team and be able to give the most I can for the team,” Paredes said, “but as you can see now with the results that I’m getting ... those results allow me to get to the All-Star game, so it feels good.”

Ramírez was hit by a pitch in a game against Toronto on June 26 and has struggled at the plate since, though he said Wednesday that it was an Achilles injury that’s been bothering him. Even with the slump, Ramírez began the day hitting .299 with 16 home runs, 44 RBIs and 24 stolen bases through 87 games for Cleveland.

“Everybody wants to go to the All-Star Game and especially for the support from the fans,” Ramírez said. “But I feel the best thing for the team is to be able to be resting (those) days and be able to contribute to the team in the second half.”

The 29-year-old Ryan, whose name has surfaced in plenty of trade talk recently, was one of the biggest snubs when the initial All-Star Game rosters were announced. The right-hander is 8-4 with a career-best 2.76 ERA across 18 starts, and he’s struck out 116 against just 21 walks over 104 1/3 innings for the Twins.

“The last couple years, I’ve had really good numbers at voting, then I’ve kind of scuttled the last two outings or so. I can see why optically it might not look as good,” Ryan said. “But putting it together, it was kind of a shock not to be in (this year).

“At the same time,” he said, “there’s so many good pitchers in the league right now. You’ve just got to hang with them and if you don’t like it, play better. That was kind of the mindset I was trying to shift into, but to get the news and be excited to go, it makes everything kind of go away and you just think about the future and going forward.”

In this week's Closer Report, the Diamondbacks lose another closer to the injured list. The Padres send two relievers to the All-Star game. And Raisel Iglesias appears to be getting back on track in Atlanta. There's much more to cover as we run down the last week in saves.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings

Tier 1: At the Top

Josh Hader - Houston Astros

Hader has been hurt by home runs of late, with five of his seven allowed on the year coming over the last month. After notching his 25th save against the Dodgers on Saturday, he took the loss on Tuesday, giving up a grand slam in the tenth inning after a scoreless ninth. Still, the 31-year-old left-hander has been the most valuable closer in baseball, posting a 2.38 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and a 63/9 K/BB ratio across 41 2/3 innings to earn his sixth All-Star honors.

Tier 2: The Elite

Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Edwin Díaz - New York Mets
Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox
Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres

Muñoz, making his second All-Star appearance, is a close second behind Hader. He locked down two saves this week with a pair of clean outings against the Pirates. The 26-year-old right-hander has recorded a spectacular 1.06 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and a 45/13 K/BB ratio over 34 innings.

Díaz, now a three-time All-Star, continues his dominant season with three scoreless outings, picking up a save and a win. The 31-year-old right-hander has allowed just one earned run over his last 24 innings since the start of May. Meanwhile, Chapman extended his scoreless appearance streak to 16 games, striking out two batters against the Nationals on Sunday. The 37-year-old veteran left-hander has been so dominant this season, earning an eighth All-Star selection, that it's fair to speculate whether the Red Sox should trade him regardless of their standings in the playoff race, given the return they could potentially get.

Duran struck out three batters over two innings and picked up the win against the Rays on Saturday. He was then unavailable to pitch on Tuesday due to an illness before returning Wednesday to lock down his 14th save against the Cubs.

Clase blew a save on Sunday against the Tigers, then bounced back against the Astros on Monday with a clean inning for his 19th save. After pitching in a tie game Tuesday, his third straight day on the mound, he got the day off Wednesday as Paul Sewald stepped in for a save.

Suarez, replacing Chris Sale for his second All-Star selection, picked up two saves this week with a pair of clean outings. The 34-year-old right-hander is up to 26 saves with a 3.72 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 41/12 K/BB ratio across 38 2/3 innings. Setup man Jason Adam joins him on the NL All-Star roster for the first time with a 1.58 ERA over 45 2/3 frames.

Tier 3: The Solid Options

Mason Miller - Athletics
Devin Williams - New York Yankees
Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers
Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Will Vest - Detroit Tigers
Emilio Pagán - Cincinnati Reds
David Bednar - Pittsburgh Pirates
Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs
Camilo Doval - San Francisco Giants
Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays
Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals
Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals
Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays
Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals
Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels

Miller didn't see a save chance this week. He tossed a clean inning with one strikeout in a non-save situation against the Giants on Sunday. In New York, Williams struck out two batters in a perfect inning for his 12th save on Sunday, then converted his 13th with two more strikeouts in a clean frame against the Mariners on Wednesday.

Megill collected three saves and a win this week, with three clean outings against the Marlins and Dodgers. His 21 saves match his season total from 2024 while posting a 2.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 43/15 K/BB ratio across 33 2/3 innings.

Bautista added a win and a save, then struck out the side in a tie game in the ninth against the Mets on Tuesday. The 30-year-old right-hander is enjoying a strong comeback season, converting 17 saves with a 2.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 48/20 K/BB ratio across 32 2/3 innings.

The Dodgers converted no saves as the team rides a six-game losing streak. Scott tossed a clean eighth inning with two strikeouts against the White Sox last Thursday, then gave up two runs in the eighth against the Astros on Sunday before blowing a save Wednesday against the Brewers. Meanwhile, Vest picked up two saves, striking out the side against the Rays on Tuesday for his 15th of the season. With Vest getting the day off on Saturday, Tommy Kahnle picked up his ninth save, first since June 4.

Pagán continued his stellar season with another save in a scoreless outing against the Phillies on Friday. The 34-year-old right-hander is up to 19 with a 2.92 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and a 45/12 K/BB ratio across 37 innings. Pagán could also be on trade watch depending on where the Reds are in the standings by the end of the month.

Bednar didn't get a save chance this week. He made one appearance, striking out the final batter in the eighth inning against the Royals on Monday for his first outing since July 1. It was a similar situation for Palencia, who needed just five pitches in his only outing this week.

Doval gave up a run on two walks and a hit in a non-save situation against the Athletics on Sunday, then worked around a walk to record his 14th save against the Phillies on Monday. But it was top setup man and bullpen breakout Randy Rodriguez who earned All-Star honors with a 0.69 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and a 54/8 K/BB ratio across 39 innings.

Hoffman extends his modest scoreless streak to six games as he continues to recover from a terrible May in which he allowed 15 runs over 10 innings. He converted two saves this week to give him 22 on the year.

Helsley tossed a clean inning with one strikeout for a save against the Cubs on Saturday, then worked around a hit and a walk for his 18th save on Tuesday against the Nationals.

In Kansas City, Estévez gave up a run last Thursday, but held on for a four-out save against the Mariners. He then fell in line for a win against Pittsburgh on Tuesday before picking up his 25th save Wednesday. Meanwhile, Fairbanks recorded five outs to fall in line for a win against the Twins on Sunday for his only appearance this week.

Finnegan made a pair of scoreless appearances in non-save situations. And Jansen has extended his streak to 11 outings without allowing an earned run, picking up a win against the Rangers on Monday and his 16th save on Wednesday.

Tier 4: Here for the Saves

Dylan Lee/Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
Kevin Ginkel - Arizona Diamondbacks
Matt Strahm/Orion Kerkering - Philadelphia Phillies
Robert Garcia - Texas Rangers

No save chances for Atlanta this week. Lee and Iglesias will presumably continue to work in a committee for saves. Iglesias could work his way into the primary role again, with no runs allowed over his last 9 2/3 innings since giving up three runs on June 5. He's posted a 14/1 K/BB ratio in that span.

The Diamondbacks lost yet another closer with Shelby Miller hitting the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain. The team had already lost AJ Puk and Justin Martinez to season-ending injuries. Ginkel has hardly been effective this season, posting a 9.00 ERA across 20 innings. But he's expected to step in for most save chances. He picked up a save on Monday against the Padres with a scoreless inning. Left-hander Kyle Backhus, mentioned in last week's column, could be someone to watch if Arizona goes to a matchup-based committee.

Jordan Romano hadn't recorded a save since May 29. He got the save chance Tuesday against the Giants with a two-run lead, but gave up three runs on an inside-the-park home run to blow the opportunity and take the loss. Philadelphia should be a team in the market for a closer at the deadline, much like last season when they acquired Carlos Estévez.

There isn't much more clarity in Texas. Garcia has not been sharp on the mound and has just one save over the last month. He took a loss Friday against the Padres. Chris Martin also took a loss this week against the Angels, while both Shawn Armstrong and Hoby Milner were charged with blown saves.

Tier 5: Bottom of the Barrel

Calvin Faucher/Ronny Henriquez - Miami Marlins
Seth Halvorsen - Colorado Rockies
Grant Taylor - Chicago White Sox

Relievers On The Rise/Stash Candidates

Braydon Fisher has emerged as an excellent reliever for the Blue Jays and a big part of the team's recent success. The 24-year-old right-hander made his major league debut this season, posting a 2.30 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 36/7 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings. Working his way up the high-leverage ladder, he's picked up four holds and three wins for Toronto. While Yariel Rodríguez has been effective in a setup role, it could be Fisher in line for saves should Hoffman ever be unavailable. In Pittsburgh, Isaac Mattson has been effective for the Pirates. The 29-year-old right-hander has posted a 1.89 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a 21/7 K/BB ratio across 19 innings while working his way into high-leverage work. With both David Bednar and Dennis Santana expected to draw trade interest at the deadline, Mattson could be someone to watch for save chances down the stretch.

NEW YORK — DJ LeMahieu was cut Wednesday by the New York Yankees with almost $22 million remaining on his contract, one day after the two-time batting champion got demoted to the bench.

“It's been a tough couple days. Some hard conversations," manager Aaron Boone said before New York's 9-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners. "But in the end, feel like this is the right thing to do at this time."

LeMahieu, who turns 37 on Sunday, was designated for assignment and fellow infielder Jorbit Vivas was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

New York has seven days to trade or release LeMahieu, or send him outright to the minors - an assignment he would have the right to refuse in favor of free agency.

It's very unlikely another team would claim LeMahieu off waivers because he's still owed $21,612,903 from the $90 million, six-year deal he signed with the Yankees prior to the 2021 season. New York must pay him $6,612,903 for the rest of this season and $15 million in 2026.

“Tough decisions," general manager Brian Cashman said. "It ultimately comes down to how this roster sits and what’s best. You want to provide your manager with enough chess moves.”

LeMahieu, a three-time All-Star, was batting .266 with two homers, 12 RBIs and a .674 OPS. He made his season debut May 13 after recovering from a left calf strain and had a .310 average in his last 31 games since June 1.

A versatile defender in the past, LeMahieu has made all 35 of his starts at second base this year - even though he's got plenty of experience at third and the Yankees essentially have a hole there.

Going back to the winter, LeMahieu expressed a preference to play second or first because third base “had become an issue physically” at this stage of his career, Cashman said.

So that's why LeMahieu played second exclusively throughout his minor league rehab assignment and was inserted there when he came off the injured list.

All-Star infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. began the season at second base, his most natural position, after playing third for the Yankees last year. But he got hurt in late April and when he returned in early June from a right oblique strain, he moved back to the hot corner for a while as LeMahieu stayed at second.

“We gave him runway to see what he looked like, to see if this dimension with the current setup was going to be workable,” Cashman said. "At some point, you make some tough decisions.”

LeMahieu won three Gold Gloves at second with Colorado from 2014-18 - and another one in a utility role with the Yankees in 2022. But his range has been diminished by toe, foot, hip and calf injuries in recent years.

The athletic Chisholm, meanwhile, has made some wild throws from third base lately while hindered by a sore shoulder. So on Tuesday, Boone moved Chisholm back to second and put LeMahieu on the bench.

Boone said LeMahieu didn't ask for his release and was willing to start working out at other positions - including third base - to provide options.

But a day later, after multiple meetings with Boone and Cashman this week, LeMahieu's 6 1/2-year tenure with the Yankees came to an unceremonious end.

“Looking at what the next few weeks could unveil, kind of Cash and I decided today like, it was probably the day to go ahead and do it," Boone said. "I just feel like now and how our roster’s built, maybe this gives us some more flexibility in the short term.”

Boone said third base going forward will be “some kind of combination" between Vivas and light-hitting Oswald Peraza, who started at the hot corner for the second consecutive night Wednesday.

Boone also said backup catcher J.C. Escarra could even “figure into that mix.”

Regardless, Cashman will be looking for a third baseman as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.

New York added depth by signing infielder Nicky Lopez and third baseman Jeimer Candelario to minor league contracts this month.

LeMahieu won his first batting title in 2016 with the Rockies and his second with New York in 2020, when he hit .364 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs in 50 games during the pandemic-shortened season.

“As widely respected a player as we’ve had - and understandably so,” Boone said. “He’s earned that with just his professionalism, his toughness, his play on the field and just kind of the quiet way he goes about things. There’s a lot of guys that have an immense amount of respect for DJ.

“Sometimes you have to make hard decisions.”

In another move, the Yankees opened a roster spot for right-hander Cam Schlittler by designating reliever Geoff Hartlieb for assignment. Schlittler was selected from Triple-A to start Wednesday night against Seattle in his major league debut.