Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler will not participate in the upcoming All-Star Game, declining a last-minute invitation after feeling snubbed for an initial selection. Wheeler stated he felt "disrespected" and did not wish to be treated as a "fifth option."

"They disrespected me, so I’m not going to participate," Wheeler told reporters Saturday, according to The Athletic.

Wheeler, who has posted a 2.28 earned run average over 14 starts since returning from thoracic outlet syndrome, was left off the initial All-Star roster. He had a strong performance in his most recent start on Saturday, striking out 14 batters and allowing one run in seven innings of a win. "I felt like that was a reminder for whoever needs to be reminded,” Wheeler said after the game. “It pisses me off. It’s kind of BS. Maybe if I wasn’t necessarily right in [the All-Star mix], I wouldn’t be saying this. But I feel like I’ve earned it."

Six of his Phillies teammates are scheduled to appear in the July 14 game at Citizens Bank Park: Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Jesus Luzardo, Brandon Marsh, Christopher Sanchez, and Jhoan Duran.

Wheeler, 36, is a three-time All-Star. His previous selections came after the New York Mets showed little interest in him following the 2019 season, which allowed the Phillies to acquire him. He has been a consistent performer for Philadelphia since then, and was a runner-up for the Cy Young Award in previous seasons.

"I 100 percent believe he was snubbed from being an All-Star," former Phillies star Jimmy Rollins said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We’ve seen the guys they want to make stars come up and have five starts and become an All-Star because they have a name for themselves. Zack Wheeler has been doing it for a while and part of being an All-Star is having a reputation of being a great starter, that he is. He’s been Cy Young second place for a number of years. The guy over in Pittsburgh [Paul Skenes] is pretty good so we understand that.

"But for him to not be in the All-Stars, especially in this city, coming back with nine wins in the first half, that’s a pretty tough pill to swallow. And if I’m him I would be pissed.

"But I would want to make sure if I’m him, I’m taking it out on everyone who had a chance to vote me in."