Blue Jays rise, Perez leads voting in latest AL All-Star tally
Voters in favor of the Toronto Blue Jays hit the polls hard over the past week to help members of the Canadian squad make some serious gains in the latest American League All-Star update.
Several close races remain with just four days left to vote for 2016 All-Star starters. Here are the latest totals: pic.twitter.com/0AGzE2j6MR
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) June 27, 2016
A number of Blue Jays - including designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (1,131,827), Josh Donaldson (1,590,183), and Troy Tulowitzki (1,136,479) - saw their totals rise in big ways, with Encarnacion moving into second spot among eligible DHs behind only David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox.
Encarnacion's vote count rose by 375,155 after a torrid month of June; he hit .280/.406/.636 with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs over the past 30 days.
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez leads all AL voting with 3,754,594 votes.
The 26-year-old World Series MVP sits near the top of the AL in most offensive categories including average (.293), home runs (12), hits (71), and OPS (.848).
Meanwhile, Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler fell out of the top five in the category, being usurped by soft-hitting Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins as well as recently released and currently unemployed infielder Omar Infante.
The Red Sox still hold onto the most starting spots in the AL with Ortiz, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Xander Bogaerts all set to start if voting ended today.