India, July 13 -- For the second straight season, the Philadelphia Phillies have seen one of their top pitchers overlooked for the MLB All-Star Game. Last year, it was Cristopher Sanchez despite finishing second in the National League Cy Young race. This year, the spotlight has shifted to Zack Wheeler.

Wheeler was left off the initial National League All-Star roster announced last weekend and was also absent from the list of replacement selections revealed on Tuesday.

Although he eventually received a late invitation to join the Midsummer Classic, the veteran right-hander had no intention of accepting it.

For the Phillies pitcher, the issue was not the All-Star Game itself but how the selection process unfolded.

He declined MLB's late...