Fact Check: Did Taijuan Walker turn down the All-Star game for a vacation? Phillies pitcher addresses swirling rumors

Misinformation and "fake news" are two of the most common quotes these days, and it appears that Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker may have been the latest victim of online rumors. According to reports, that the pitcher has since refuted, Walker supposedly turned down an invitation to play in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game instead opting for a vacation.

According to a report from the New York Times reporter Jon Heyman, Taijuan Walker rejected his invitation to participate in the All-Star Game because he already had "family plans."

However, the Philadelphia Phillies starter took to Twitter on Wednesday stating that he never received an invitation. The pitcher said that he certainly would have been interested in joining the experience, especially since it was being hosted by the Seattle Mariners, the team that drafted him back in 2010.

"If there was an opportunity for me to be part of an all-star game I would've been there. Especially, with it being in the city of the team that drafted me. I was told it was a possibility only! Unfortunately that possibility never fully presented itself. #ThankYou #2ndHalf" - @tai_walker

An All-Star in 2021, had Taijuan Walker participated in the event, it would have been the second selection of his career. While he did mention that there was a "possibility" that he could have been selected, the invitation was simply not extended to him.

Taijuan Walker's agent Scott Boras was disappointed that Blake Snell was not asked to take that open spot

While it would have been nice to have seen the former Seattle Mariners pitcher be given the opportunity to pitch in front of his old crowd, it came as a shock to super-agent Scott Boras that another one of his clients was not given the opportunity to participate.

Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres has been electric this season, posting a 6-7 record with a 2.85 ERA and 132 strikeouts through 98.0 innings. These stats, along with the fact that Snell was born in Seattle seemed that the starter would be the ideal candidate to join the All-Star teams in his hometown.

"In the entire history of MLB, 12 NL starting pitchers have had an ERA less than 3.00 and 12+ SO/9 at the All-Star Break. 11 of those 12 were named All-Stars. The 1 pitcher who was not: Blake Snell" - @DannyVietti

This was not the case, as both he and Taijuan Walker were not invited to perform in front of the Seattle crowd.