2016 All-Star Game: Wil Myers will be the designated hitter

From the moment Wil Myers was named an All-Star, there’s been lots of speculation that he might start the game as the designated hitter. He’s the face of the Padres this week, serving as the host team’s All-Star Week ambassador. Tonight he’ll be the fifth Friar to compete in the Home Run Derby, and the first since Adrian Gonzalez in 2009. All that seemed to indicate that he’d be a likely fit for the DH role, and today it’s official.

Mets manager Terry Collins has put Wil in the cleanup spot for his debut in the Midsummer Classic, and it puts him in the middle of a lineup built for tearing the cover off the ball. The last time a Padre started the game was Tony Gwynn’s 1998 start, and the last time one did so in the cleanup spot was Fred McGriff in 1992. It’s a welcome change for Padres fans after the last several years. Last year Justin Upton only got one at-bat, and Huston Street and Everth Cabrera warmed the bench the two years before.

You can catch Wil in the Home Run Derby tonight at 5:00 PM, and the All-Star Game airs at 4:30 PM tomorrow.