Derek Jeter hit his 3,000th career hit on Saturday in grand fashion with a home run, which helps solidify his future place as a member of Cooperstown. But a calf injury will keep him out of Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game in Arizona. Jeter made the announcement on Friday that he decided – on his own – to vacate his spot on the American League’s starting roster and will watch from home instead. He joins teammates Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera as All-Star selections who won’t participate.

Jeter, who has opted to skip the All-Star Game saying he doesn’t want to “push” his calf injury, has played in every game since returning from the DL and recorded five hits in his historic day. You have to wonder how he’s able to play at such a level now but doesn’t think he can risk a celebrity appearance in a game in which millions of fans have decided he should participate.

Taking nothing away from Jeter in getting to 3,000 hits as that is certainly an incredible feat, but if he’s healthy enough to play now competitively, can’t he afford a swing or two a few days from now? Despite being voted in as a starter, MLB certainly can arrange to have Jeter come off the bench. After all, fan voting is just a formality anyway. Looking at Jeter’s season numbers, it’s very difficult to say that he’s actually earned his place in the game. Having Jeter attend the game would certainly help MLB showcase Jeter’s latest historic benchmark.

In an admirable move, Rodriguez, whose injury may be worst of the three, has committed to at least traveling to Arizona while the other two will skip the festivities altogether. You can be sure that if this game was at Yankee Stadium and not Chase Field, all of Jeter, Rodriguez and Rivera would be wearing the pinstripes come Tuesday night. Instead, none of the three will take to the field to acknowledge the fans that have asked they be there.