Seattle Mariners rookie outfielder Julio Rodriguez will compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium on Monday, he announced Wednesday on social media.
Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez also has accepted an invitation to compete in the event, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Rodriguez will be the 14th rookie to participate, and only two of those have won outright: the New York Mets‘ Pete Alonso in 2019 and New York Yankees‘ Aaron Judge in 2017.
Alonso is the two-time defending champion. Others to have entered this year’s derby are the Atlanta Braves‘ Ronald Acuna Jr., the St. Louis Cardinals‘ Albert Pujols, the Philadelphia Phillies‘ Kyle Schwarber and the Washington Nationals‘ Juan Soto.
One spot remains to be filled for the eight-player field.
Rodriguez, 21, leads major league rookies with 15 home runs entering Wednesday and is third with a .477 slugging percentage. That’s after going homerless over his first 20 career games and recording his first career home run May 1.
He is the seventh player in Mariners club history to participate in the Home Run Derby and the first since Robinson Cano in 2016. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. is the only Mariners player to ever win (three times: 1994, 1998 and 1999).
Rodriguez, who is hitting .274 with 44 RBIs, 50 runs and 21 stolen bases, was announced as a member of the American League All-Star team on Sunday.
He sat out the opener of the day-night doubleheader in Washington on Wednesday as he served his one-game suspension stemming from his involvement in a brawl with the Los Angeles Angels on June 26. He is in the lineup for the second game.
Ramirez, 29, a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, has 17 home runs this season entering Wednesday and will be making his fourth All-Star Game appearance next week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.