Wright to replace Soriano on NL All-Star team

New York Mets' Fernando Tatis hits a two-run double in the third inning of the Mets' 7-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game at Shea Stadium in New York, Thursday, July 10, 2008. Giants catcher Eliezer Alfonzo is at left. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

NEW YORK—David Wright of the New York Mets will replace injured Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs on the National League All-Star roster.

All-Star manager Clint Hurdle of the Colorado Rockies made the announcement Friday. Colorado outfielder Matt Holliday, originally selected as a reserve, will replace Soriano in the starting lineup.

Soriano, on the disabled list since June 12 with a broken left hand, will attend the festivities.

Wright, who is batting .288 with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs, will be making his third consecutive appearance in the All-Star game. Wright was a fan-elected starter in 2006 and 2007.

Playing in New York will make it "100 times more special," said Wright, who learned he was on the team hours after he lost a fan vote for what would've been the last spot.

"To be able to come up through this system, be a Mets fan when I was a kid, to be able to close down Yankee Stadium in the last All-Star game, makes it special," he added. "It's something I wanted pretty badly."

Wright planned to thank Hurdle in person, since the Rockies and Mets played Friday. Hurdle said picking Wright over Philadelphia's Pat Burrell, San Francisco's Aaron Rowand and Houston's Carlos Lee had nothing to do with the game being in New York. He wanted Wright's bat against the American League's left-handed pitching and needed another infielder more than an outfielder.