2017 MLB All-Star Game missing Trout, Thor and MadBum

The 2017 MLB All-Star Game rosters have been announced, and several big-name players are conspicuously absent from the lineups.

Voting for the MLB All-Star Game lasts several weeks, but everything comes together on one summer afternoon when the official rosters are announced. The 2017 American and National League rosters are predictably full of the best and brightest talent out there, no question, but it’s the names that didn’t make the list that are really interesting.

Injuries have befallen several players who likely would have made appearances at the All-Star Game were it not for their current stints on the disabled list. Most notably absent: Mike Trout, Noah Syndergaard and Madison Bumgarner.

Mike Trout

Trout made the 2017 All-Star roster, but the Los Angeles Angels center fielder has been sidelined by his thumb injury. Despite the selection, he will not play in the All-Star Game and will be replaced by Mookie Betts.

Trout has been on the DL since May 28 when he tore a ligament in his thumb during a botched stolen base attempt. The surgery to repair the damage set him back six to eight weeks which means he’ll still be rehabbing over the All-Star Break. Trout’s timeline for a return to the team will be based upon his performance during a workout with the Angels Class A affiliate Inland Empire on July 4.

This year would have marked Trout’s fifth consecutive All-Star Game start and his sixth appearance.

Noah Syndergaard

Thor might be returning to theaters in November, but the New York Mets have been playing without their ace after Syndergaard suffered a lat tear on April 30. Amid delays in healing, Syndergaard is looking at a return some time in August.

Prior to his injury, Syndergaard had appeared in five games with a 1-2 record and a 3.29 ERA in 27.1 innings. It’s very likely that had he continued pitching, the 24-year-old would have made a return trip to the All-Star Game.

Madison Bumgarner

Bumgarner has had a rough time when it comes to All-Star Games over the past two years. IN 2016 he was selected by manager Bruce Bochy, but because of the timing of his starts, he wasn’t able to play. His inability to pitch led to his desire to appear in the Home Run Derby, but given the ace’s value to the team, that idea was nixed, too.

Fast forward to the San Francisco Giants’ season opener. MadBum made his case for that Home Run Derby appearance when he broke an Opening Day record with two blasts into the bleachers, a first for a starting pitcher. Things were looking up for Bumgarner in 2017 even though he got off to a rough 0-3 start to the year.

Then he decided to take an excursion on his dirt bike, and the decision landed the All-Star on the disabled list with bruised ribs and a Grade 2 left shoulder AC strain. The 60-day stint on the DL has all but concluded and Bumgarner has gone from throwing simulated games to getting some work at Triple-A Sacramento.

Bumgarner’s first start back from rehab saw the recovering ace throw 3 2/3 innings. He had 41 strikeouts in 62 pitches, allowing four runs and seven hits. It’s not his best work, surely, but it’s not bad for someone who is starting over after sitting out for two months.

Next: MLB 2017: One X-factor for each team

The rosters for the All-Star Game might be missing the likes of Trout, Syndergaard and Bumgarner, but the game will no doubt be in capable hands in their absence. And there’s always 2018, right?