Longoria Out, Figgins in, Young to Start

With the All-Star Game just hours away, there has been some shuffling on the American League squad. Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays, who was elected the AL starter at third base, will be forced to miss the game with an infected right ring finger. The result is a downgrade in power but a gain in speed for the AL. The openings created also likely provide a thrill for two players.

Michael Young, who was already a reserve on the team, will slide into Longoria's starting spot and hit seventh for the AL. As for the hole on the roster, Chone Figgins of the Los Angeles Angels will fill the vacancy.

Young has already played in five All-Star games, but he's never started the Midsummer Classic before. Considering he's 32 years old and he's accompanied at third base in the American League by Longoria and Alex Rodriguez, it's likely this is going to be the only start of his career in this exhibition.

Figgins, 31, has never made an All-Star Game before. Considering he's hitting .310 with 68 runs scored (tops in the AL), seven triples (tied for first) and 27 stolen bases (fourth in the AL), he had to have felt a bit slighted by his initial omission. He also figures to give manager Joe Maddon an interesting weapon late in the game. Figgins could be inserted as a situational pinch-runner, should the AL need a stolen base. Then, he can play virtually anywhere in the field, should they elect to move him around for the purposes of strategy or getting everyone in the game.

National coverage of the game begins at 8 PM ET Tuesday night on Fox.