SAN DIEGO — He was sitting at his booth in the large hall at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel with other American League All-Stars. A quick glance around the room showed the gaggle of reporters around David Ortiz, the attention surrounding diminutive Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and White Sox ace Chris Sale, the AL’s starting pitcher.

But who stood out the most? Which player would you choose as the most improbable to be sitting amid the best in baseball?

That would be Steven Wright.

He certainly belonged. But the wonder comes from the fact that he was there as a knuckleballer in his first full season as a major league starting pitcher at the ripe age of 31. He may be the only player in the All-Star Game whose age doesn’t matter. He may be up there on the same podium at age 40 or 42 for all we know, still throwing the pitch and getting batters out.

Wright’s journey has been pretty amazing, so different from the path traveled by most other players in the room.

Wright sat there with a trickle of sweat above his brow, answering questions from reporters from all over the country, including Hawaii, where he went to college for three years. He discussed Hawaiian food with a reporter, talked about his roots in California, growing up about 90 minutes from San Diego, and how he gave out 16 tickets for family and friends. He told a local TV reporter, “I used to watch you growing up!’’

When AL manager Ned Yost on Monday listed the first five pitchers he plans to use Tuesday night before turning to the bullpen, he did not mention Wright. But Yost has had a conversation with Red Sox manager John Farrell on whether he could use Wright for a couple of innings if needed.

Yost did not say whether Wright would appear in the game. After all, catching a knuckleballer would be problematic for the All-Star catchers since they don’t get that experience regularly.

Regardless of whether he pitches or not, this has been a remarkable journey, from the University of Hawaii to a second-round pick of the Indians in 2006, to the conversion to knuckleballer in 2009, to the trade to Boston for Lars Anderson in 2013, to All-Star in 2016.

It was almost surreal.

Wright has a 10-5 record and AL-leading 2.68 ERA. He’s already accomplished more than he ever thought he would. How often do knuckleballers make an All-Star team? Tim Wakefield, who pitched 19 years in the majors and won 200 games, made one, in 2009. Hall of Famer Phil Niekro made five of them, but he’s the gold standard and a 300-game winner.

So it won’t matter if Wright pitches or not. The fact that he’s an All-Star so close to home will suffice for him.

And if this is his lone moment in the limelight, if he never does anything else in the majors, this will be a fond memory of wearing a big league uniform.

“I want to go on as long as I can be effective and as long as it’s not affecting my family and my kids,’’ Wright said. “If I pitch until I’m 40, great. That would be 10 years [in the majors]. I was going to give it up four years ago until my wife talked me out of it. I’m going to enjoy every year and go as long as I still love the game. If I have the desire to get up every day and go through my routine and do that repeatedly and I love doing it, I’ll keep doing it.

“This is just my job. It’s what I do. It’s not my identity. It’s a great job. I love it. I’m honored for the opportunity to play in the major leagues. At the same time, it’s just a job, and if it affects the way you’re living your life on a daily basis, sometimes it’s time for a career change. If that comes tomorrow, I’m done. I hope it doesn’t, because I love the game. For me, it’s family first. If it’s affecting the way I’m raising my kids, I’ll take them and go. If it’s affecting my marriage, I won’t do it. I’d love to go until 40, because right now I love the game and I love what’s happening.’’

Wright spent a lot of time crediting Wakefield for being a sounding board. He spent a lot of time saying how great his teammates were and how badly he felt for the injured Craig Kimbrel, who sat along the back wall of Red Sox row in the hall. He spent time talking about Ortiz and how comfortable Ortiz made him feel from the first time he came up to the majors.

Wright was also asked about being a role model or an inspiration for other pitchers who may decide to take a similar route to try to save their career. But he doesn’t think his success will spur others to become knuckleballers.

“No team is going out there drafting a knuckleball guy,’’ Wright said. “It was a last-ditch effort for me. I told myself, maybe I can throw this. You also have to have an organization that’s willing to help you grow. When the Indians traded me to the Red Sox, they had Wake, which was a blessing. The Indians and then the Red Sox gave me the opportunity. I’m not sure there are organizations that are willing to do that.

“To kill the spin on the ball was easy for me. It’s being on the mound in a tense situation with Mike Trout at the plate with the bases loaded, and he knows what’s coming. It’s the mental part of it that differentiates you from anyone else,’’ Wright said.

“Even though I don’t see myself as a role model, it comes with the territory. I hope I inspire somebody. I was inspired. But I also want to be inspired to be a better father, a better Christian, a better teammate. You have to have people push you to be accountable. I want to do that consistently.’’

So as the scrum got deeper around Ortiz, Wright spoke about the journey. Not just the sports journey, but life’s journey that has led him to understand and appreciate where he is today.