Kyle Schwarber will lead off for the National League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday, stepping into the spot vacated by Shohei Ohtani. The wire confirmed the lineups Monday afternoon: Schwarber at the top for the NL, with Riley Greene, Ben Rice, and Cody Bellinger starting for the American League.
On the field, it is a fine choice. Schwarber has been one of the most dangerous leadoff hitters in baseball this season, and dropping him into that lineup spot for a showcase game is exactly the kind of move that draws zero argument. The real question, as always with All-Star rosters, is what the shuffling means away from the field.
For futures bettors, individual All-Star Game props tied to Ohtani are now void or repriced, depending on your book. If you held any first-plate-appearance or hits props on Ohtani for Tuesday, confirm your book's cancellation policy before the game goes live at 8:01 PM ET. Schwarber stepping into the leadoff role makes him a natural target for plate-appearance volume props if your book posts them, though I do not have those lines in front of me yet.
The broader Phillies futures picture does not move on this news. Schwarber playing in an exhibition does not shift their World Series number, which the wire confirms is already in a field led by the Dodgers and Yankees. What I am watching is whether any All-Star appearance creates a minor injury concern heading into the second half, the standard low-grade risk anytime a team's core piece suits up for a game that does not count. Nothing in the wire suggests that is imminent, but it is the variable to track.
Also worth a quick note from the related wire: Bryce Harper is denying that he consented to FanDuel using a personalized video for a customer now suing the sportsbook over gambling addiction. Harper said Monday he did not know how the video would be used. That is a legal and PR story, not a betting-line story, and it deserves to be treated as the former. No betting framing on that one from this desk.
What I am watching next: whether any AL or NL starter exits early Tuesday and how the pitching usage shakes out for teams with immediate second-half series starting later in the week. That is where real line movement can come from after an All-Star Game.