This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger's Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- The Angels found out they had another All-Star on Sunday, but it wasn¡¯t another player joining superstars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

It was simply Ohtani being voted in as a starting pitcher by the players, making him an All-Star as a designated hitter and a pitcher for the third straight year. It is another incredible honor for Ohtani, but the Angels were hopeful they¡¯d have more All-Stars announced on Sunday. Closer Carlos Estévez and infielder Brandon Drury were both left off the American League squad.

Manager Phil Nevin thought both Est¨¦vez and Drury had strong cases to be All-Stars for the first time, especially Est¨¦vez.

Est¨¦vez has a 1.85 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 34 innings and is 21-for-21 in save opportunities. Drury wouldn¡¯t have been eligible to play after being placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder contusion on Sunday, but he has hit .277/.322/.500 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs in 75 games. His .822 OPS leads AL second basemen, and his 1.7 fWAR ranks second among AL second basemen, behind Marcus Semien.

¡°I thought Dru was a long shot, but I thought he was deserving and the one that gets me is Este,¡± Nevin said. ¡°That one is a tough one for me. As far as closers go, he¡¯s third in the league in saves. He¡¯s the only one who hasn¡¯t blown one and has a sub-2.00 ERA. I¡¯m not sure what it takes to be deserving.¡±

As Nevin noted, Est¨¦vez could be added to the All-Star team this week. Pitchers are often replaced due to injuries or if a starter pitches on the Sunday before the Midsummer Classic.

¡°It always happens where you see guys added throughout the week,¡± Nevin said. ¡°Some guys can¡¯t go, or pitchers can¡¯t throw. These things can change throughout the week and hopefully he gets a chance to go. Whether you¡¯re picked Sunday or picked during the week, it¡¯s still a special time to go. So hopefully he gets that opportunity.¡±

Est¨¦vez, who picked up his 21st save in Sunday¡¯s 5-2 win, admitted he was disappointed he wasn¡¯t named an All-Star.

¡°It¡¯s crazy, but it is what it is,¡± Est¨¦vez said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else I have to do. I think I have a good case. But at the end of the day, we¡¯re trying to get [to] the playoffs and win the whole thing. It¡¯s not about me getting to the All-Star Game. I¡¯m disappointed, of course, but it is what it is.¡±

Drury, who was signed to a two-year deal worth $17 million in December, was humble when talking about his season, and he said he expects to return from his injury in the first game after the All-Star break on July 14.

¡°It¡¯s been decent after those first couple weeks, and I feel like it¡¯s been pretty solid, overall,¡± Drury said. ¡°And there¡¯s a lot of season left, so I¡¯m looking forward to that.¡±