he All-Star Game will now have a designated hitter regardless of which league is hosting the contest, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday. The updated designated hitter rule came among a list of other procedural changes the league has officially adopted for its jewel event at the recommendation of the Special Committee for On-field Matters. Other changes include a restriction on pitchers who have pitched the Sunday before the game, a one-man increase in the number of position players elected and a unique re-entry rule.
These rules will all be in place for the 2010 All-Star Game hosted by the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The new changes have also been agreed upon by the Players Association. The designated hitter rule also stipulates that the National League's DH will be chosen by the manager, while the junior circuit's DH will continue to be chosen by fans.

In an effort to protect pitchers who have started a regular season game on the Sunday immediately before the game, these players will not be eligible to pitch in the game and will be replaced. As with any player who is ineligible or unable to play, they will still be recognized as an All-Star. A re-entry rule also makes its debut this year. In addition to the existing injured catcher rule, the manager is now allowed to select one position player to re-enter a game in the event that the last available position player at any position is injured.