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Ronald Acuna Jr. is a frontrunner for National League MVP and after leading all players in total votes in the first phase of All-Star voting, he’ll be headed to his fourth All-Star Game as a starting outfielder — and there’s a good chance he’ll be joined by some of his Atlanta Braves teammates in the starting lineup.

The first phase of voting narrows each position to two finalists, with the recipient with the most votes in each league rewarded as the automatic starter at his position. Acuna tallied 3,082,600 votes to lead all players while Shohei Ohtani led all American League players with 2,646,307 votes and will start at designated hitter for the third consecutive season.

The Braves, owners of the best record in the NL, lead all teams with seven finalists, including Acuna. Catcher Sean Murphy and shortstop Orlando Arcia led their positions in voting while first baseman Matt Olson, second baseman Ozzie Albies, third baseman Austin Riley and outfielder Michael Harris II also move on to the second phase of voting.

The Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays both have five finalists in the AL. The second phase to determine the remaining 16 positional starters for the July 11 contest in Seattle will run from noon ET on Monday through noon ET on Thursday, June 29. Vote totals from the first phase do not carry over and fans will be allowed to vote just once per 24-hour period.

Acuna, fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered in 2021 that also affected him last season, is hitting .327/.403/.558 with 15 home runs, 46 RBIs and 31 stolen bases, leading the NL in runs, steals and total bases.

Ohtani has been on an offensive tear of late, is hitting .292 and leads the majors with 24 home runs and a .993 OPS. Oh, and he’s 6-3 with a 3.13 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 89 innings as a pitcher.

Arcia was the surprise voting leader among NL shortstops. After Dansby Swanson signed with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent, Vaughn Grissom was expected to take over at shortstop, but veteran Arcia won the job out of spring training and is hitting .341/.400/.489 with six home runs and 25 RBIs in 52 games.

With past All-Stars like Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts having down seasons in their new homes in Philadelphia and San Diego, respectively, Arcia and Francisco Lindor of the Mets are the NL shortstop finalists. Diamondbacks rookie outfielder Corbin Carroll, who is tied with Acuna among all MLB position players in FanGraphs WAR, is also a finalist. Carroll is looking to become the first Diamondbacks rookie position player to make the All-Star team.

National League finalists:

Catcher: Murphy, Braves; Will Smith, Dodgers First base: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers; Olson, Braves Second base: Luis Arraez, Marlins; Albies, Braves Third base: Nolan Arenado, Cardinals; Riley, Braves Shortstop: Arcia, Braves; Lindor, Mets Outfield: Mookie Betts, Dodgers; Carroll, Diamondbacks; Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Diamondbacks; Harris II, Braves DH: J.D. Martinez, Dodgers; Bryce Harper, Phillies

In the AL, Mike Trout is an outfield finalist and looking to earn his 10th consecutive selection as a starter via fan voting, although he missed the 2021 and 2022 games with injuries. The most interesting race could come at shortstop, where the Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette is hitting .317 with 14 home runs and 101 hits while the Rangers’ Corey Seager, after missing three weeks with a hamstring injury, is hitting .345 with 45 RBIs in 43 games.

American League finalists:

Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Orioles; Jonah Heim, Rangers First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays; Yandy Diaz, Rays Second base: Marcus Semien, Rangers; Whit Merrifield, Blue Jays Third base: Josh Jung, Rangers; Matt Chapman, Blue Jays Shortstop: Bichette, Blue Jays; Seager, Rangers Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees; Trout, Angels; Randy Arozarena, Rays; Yordan Alvarez, Astros; Kevin Kiermaier, Blue Jays; Adolis Garcia, Rangers

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Tigers’ Baddoo to miss start of regular season

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Tigers' Baddoo to miss start of regular season

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo had surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand and will miss the start of the regular season.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Baddoo had more tests done after some continued wrist soreness since the start of spring training. Those tests revealed the hamate hook fracture in his right hand that was surgically repaired Thursday.

Baddoo, 26, who has been with the Tigers since 2021, is at spring training as a non-roster player. He was designated for assignment in December after Detroit signed veteran right-hander Alex Cobb to a $15 million, one-year contract. Baddoo cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo.

Cobb is expected to miss the start of the season after an injection to treat hip inflammation that developed as the right-hander was throwing at the start of camp. He has had hip surgery twice.

Baddoo hit .137 with two homers and five RBIs in 31 games last season. The left-hander has a .226 career average with 28 homers and 103 RBI in 340 games.

After the Tigers acquired him from Minnesota in the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings in December 2020, Baddoo hit .259 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .330 on-base percentage in 124 games as a rookie in 2021. Those are all career bests.

Baddoo went into camp in a crowded outfield. The six outfielders on Detroit’s 40-man roster include three other left-handed hitters (Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Parker Meadows) and switch-hitter Wenceel Pérez. The other outfielders are right-handers Matt Vierling and Justyn-Henry Malloy.

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Dodgers’ Miller has no fracture after liner scare

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Dodgers' Miller has no fracture after liner scare

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller still had a bit of a headache but slept fine and felt much better a day after getting hit on the head by a line drive, manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

Roberts said he had spoken with Miller, who was still in concussion protocol after getting struck by a 105.5 mph liner hit by Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch in the first game of spring training Thursday.

The manager said Miller indicated that there was no fracture or any significant bruising.

“He said in his words, ‘I have a hard head.’ He was certainly in good spirits,” Roberts said.

Miller immediately fell to the ground while holding his head, but quickly got up on his knees as medical staff rushed onto the field. The 25-year-old right-hander was able to walk off the field on his own.

“He feels very confident that he can kind of pick up his throwing program soon,” said Roberts, who was unsure of that timing. “But he’s just got to keep going through the concussion protocol just to make sure that we stay on the right track.”

Miller entered spring training in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation. He had a 2-4 record with an 8.52 ERA over 13 starts last season, after going 11-4 with a 3.76 in 22 starts as a rookie in 2023.

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Brewers OF Perkins (shin) to miss start of season

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Brewers OF Perkins (shin) to miss start of season

PHOENIX — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins is expected to miss the first month of the season after fracturing his right shin during batting practice.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy revealed the severity of Perkins’ injury before their Cactus League opener Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.

“They’re estimating another three to four weeks to heal and a ramp-up of four to six weeks,” Murphy said. “So you’re probably looking at May.”

Perkins, 28, batted .240 with a .316 on-base percentage, six homers, 43 RBIs and 23 steals in 121 games last season. He also was a National League Gold Glove finalist at center field.

“Perkins is a big part of our team,” Murphy said. “The chemistry of the team, the whole thing, Perk’s huge. He’s one of the most loved guys on the club, and he’s a great defender, coming into his own as an offensive player. Yeah, it’s going to hurt us.”

Murphy also said right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas has what appears to be a serious lat injury and is debating whether to undergo surgery. Bukauskas had a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances last year but missed much of the season with a lat issue.

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