Judge, the defending champion, and 2016 winner Stanton confirmed on Sunday they would skip the event.
“Don’t want to, I’ve done it plenty of times,” Stanton told reporters. “Take a year off, take two years off, if I want.”
Judge, who wowed fans with his prolific display in last year’s exhibition event, slumped in the second half.
He is not the first slugger to mess up his fundamentals trying to swing for the stands in the competition.
“This year we’ve got something special going. I kind of said I’m not going … and I want to stay healthy,” Judge said.
Judge was voted as a starter for this year’s American League (AL) All-Star team, while Stanton was left off with a chance at earning the AL’s final vote.
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