Marco Hernandez was watching the news in December when he heard his name.

“I found out I was traded in the Felix Doubront deal,” Hernandez said.

Indeed, the Red Sox obtained Hernandez as the player to be named later in the Doubront trade to the Chicago Cubs and assigned him to the Portland Sea Dogs. And now Hernandez is an All-Star.

Hernandez, 22, was one of the five Sea Dogs named to the Eastern Division team that will play the Western Division in the Eastern League All-Star Game on July 15 at Hadlock Field.

The Sea Dogs announced that infielders Carlos Asuaje, Jantzen Witte and Hernandez, starting pitcher William Cuevas and relief pitcher Robby Scott will appear.

The game will begin at 7 p.m., with several events preceding the game, including a home run derby and autograph sessions. Approximately 600 tickets are still available.

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Hernandez, a shortstop, is batting .310/.801 OPS. He also was named to the 2014 Florida State League All-Star Game, playing for the Cubs’ advanced Class A affiliate in Daytona Beach. That was Hernandez’s fifth year in the Cubs’ organization. As comfortable as he felt, Hernandez said the trade did not upset him.

“I feel great,” he said. “New team. New experience. New opportunity.”

Also a new region. Hernandez, from Moca in the Dominican Republic, is playing in the Northeast for the first time.

“It was pretty tough,” Hernandez said of the Maine spring. Most of his 16 errors came in April and early May. An oblique injury also put him on the disabled list for three weeks.

But gradually Hernandez came around and is now playing solid defense and batting leadoff for the Sea Dogs.

While Hernandez has played only shortstop in Portland, most of the other Sea Dogs have played multiple positions. Witte plays both corner infield spots. He’s batting .281/.783.

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Asuaje has been a versatile player at second and third base, and left field. He’s batting .240/.726.

Cuevas is one of the leaders in the league in wins with a 7-4 record, and 3.75 ERA. Scott carries a 2.04 ERA in 20 games (351/3 innings). He has a 0.96 walks/hits per inning (WHIP) ratio.

The Eastern team will be coached by the Sea Dogs’ staff, headed by Manager Billy McMillon. The West will be coached by the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ staff, including hitting coach and Portland native Ken Joyce, and pitching coach and former Boston reliever Lee Smith, a Giants roving pitching instructor.

Among the top prospects expected to play for the East are Reading shortstop J.P. Crawford, the Phillies’ No. 1 prospect, according to Baseball America; Binghamton outfielder Brandon Nimmo (Mets, No. 3 prospect); Trenton catcher Gary Sanchez (Yankees, No. 5); and New Britain catcher Tom Murphy (Rockies, No. 6).

Top West prospects include Altoona first baseman Josh Bell (Pirates, No. 4), Harrisburg catcher Pedro Severino (Nationals, No. 13) and Bowie outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (Orioles, No. 9).

This is the second time Portland has hosted the Eastern League All-Star Game. The 2005 game also was at Hadlock.

 

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