Cristopher Sánchez added to NL roster, giving Phillies eight All-Stars: ‘It’s really special’

Around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, manager Rob Thomson held a team meeting. Cristopher Sánchez wasn’t sure what it was about, but he had a hunch. His hunch was right.

Thomson announced that Sánchez had been named to the N.L. All Star team as a replacement for Chris Sale, who will pitch on Sunday for the Braves. He is the eighth Phillies All Star, tying an MLB record.

The room broke out into applause.

“My heart started to beat really fast,” Sánchez said.

Thomson was happy to see the emotion from his pitcher. Sánchez is one of the more reserved people in the Phillies’ clubhouse, but on Saturday, he was grinning ear to ear. Making the All Star team was one of his goals for the season. After posting a 2.96 ERA through 103 1/3 innings this season, he was finally there.

“I’m super proud of him, knowing where he’s come from and how far he’s come,” Thomson said. “Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. The room loves him. So it was pretty special.”

There is a reason the room loves him. This team loves an underdog, and he is the epitome of that, going from a reliever without a guaranteed spot on the roster to an All Star in the span of two years.

“He’s very humble, but he’s very — at this point in his life he’s very confident,” Thomson said. “And he treats people the right way. Kevin at the guard shack, told me one time, he’s the one guy who stops every day to say hello and talk to me. And that’s just who Sanchy is.”

Sánchez had made plans to go to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for the All Star break to visit his family, but was happy to change those plans. He’ll now go to Texas with his wife, Kaimary.

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“It’s special,” Sánchez said. “It’s really special. It just tells you a lot about the work that we’ve put in as a team.”

Now that Sánchez has achieved this year’s goal, he’ll focus on his next one.

“World Series,” he said with a smile.

Ranger Suárez said last weekend that he intended to pitch in the All Star game, but on Saturday, he was replaced by Braves starter Max Fried on the National League All-Star roster. No explanation has been given yet, but Suárez has had three rough starts in a row and has already thrown 114 innings this season. He pitched 125 innings in 2023.

J.T. Realmuto (right knee pain) ran the bases on Saturday. He will go to the Phillies’ facility in Clearwater, Fla., during the All Star break to continue his rehab. Thomson said it’s unlikely that Realmuto will return during the Pirates series next weekend. He has been delayed in his rehab by some poor weather, that prevented him from working out on the field. It’s possible he returns for the Phillies’ series in Minnesota from July 22-24. … Taijuan Walker (right index finger inflammation) threw a bullpen session on Saturday. When Thomson talked to the media pre game, he had not yet received a report on how Walker’s bullpen had gone.