Suspended Dodgers star Manny Ramirez should skip All-Star game if voted in, Torre says

Ramirez should skip All-Star game, Torre says

CHICAGO — Suspended slugger Manny Ramirez should skip the All-Star game even if he’s voted in by fans, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre says.

“No,” Torre said before Friday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. “I think if you asked Manny, he’d give you the same answer.”

Despite his 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy, Ramirez is fourth among outfielders in the latest voting tallies. The Dodgers star had received 442,763 votes, about 34,000 shy of the Mets’ Carlos Beltran for the third starting spot for the game July 14 in St. Louis.

One fan even created a “Vote for Manny” Web site after the first voting results were released on May 26.

Ramirez hit .348 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 27 games before he was suspended May 7. He is set to return to the Dodgers on July 3.

“To me, I think the significance of the All-Star Game is to reward players who have a good first half,” Torre said. “We don’t always do that, because it’s a popularity vote, for the most part. If you want to include the fans, that’s how it’s got to be.”