Gary Sanchez responds to Logan Morrison for saying he shouldn’t be in HR Derby

It’s a war of words between a pair of AL East sluggers.

Rays first baseman Logan Morrison, who is tied for third in the MLB with 24 home runs this year but did not receive an invitation to the Home Run Derby, criticized the inclusion of Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, who has 13 this year.

“Gary shouldn’t be there,” Morrison said, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. “Gary’s a great player, but he shouldn’t be in the Home Run Derby. I remember when I had 14 home runs. That was a month and a half ago.”

Sanchez took an opportunity Wednesday to respond to Morrison’s remarks.

“What can I say? That’s something that I have no control of,” said Sanchez, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. “It’s not my fault he didn’t get selected. They gave me a call, basically gave me an invitation … It’s an honor to participate in the event.”

For what it’s worth, Sanchez was also selected for the American League All-Star team outright while Morrison was not (though Morrison is one of the five Final Vote candidates for the AL).

Morrison does have a bit of a reputation for salt. But with other worthy candidates also being snubbed (Eric Thames of the Brewers for one) while the Yankees boast two representatives (Sanchez and Aaron Judge) in the eight-player field, perhaps there’s some truth to his comments.

Image via YES Network on YouTube