Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich has thrown his name in the hat for the Home Run Derby.
Yelich, who leads the majors with 29 home runs, said Saturday night that he accepted an invitation from Major League Baseball to compete in the All-Star event on July 8 in Cleveland. The event will be televised on ESPN.
"They asked if I would do it a few weeks ago," Yelich said Saturday night after Milwaukee beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1. "I said as long as I was an All-Star I would do it -- obviously if I'm feeling healthy enough before the game."
Yelich, the reigning National League MVP, was the NL's leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game. He is slashing .327/.423/.704 with 63 RBIs.
Yelich joins New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso as confirmed participants as the field begins to round out, meaning the competition will feature MLB's two leading home run hitters. Alonso is second in the majors with 28 homers.
"I feel like now's as good a time to do it as any, so we'll see how it goes," Yelich said.
Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper won last year's Home Run Derby.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
