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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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Jung hits HR for mom while facing brother Jace

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Jung hits HR for mom while facing brother Jace

DETROIT — Josh Jung delivered a special Mother’s Day gift to his mom, Mary.

The Texas Rangers third baseman hit a two-out, two-run homer in the fifth inning off Beau Brieske at Detroit on Sunday. Jung’s brother, Jace, was in the Tigers’ lineup at the same position.

Before the game, Mary Jung delivered the game ball to the mound and her sons joined her on the field.

“My heart is just exploding,” Mary Jung said in an interview on the Rangers’ telecast. “I mean, I couldn’t ask for a better Mother’s Day gift. We’re all in the same place, to begin with. But then to watch them live their dream, do what they love to do, I couldn’t be more proud.”

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first home run by a player facing his brother’s team on Mother’s Day since at least 1969.

The Jungs’ parents, Mary and Jeff, have been in attendance throughout the three-game series. The brothers also started Saturday when Texas recorded a 10-3 victory.

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Yankees’ Stroman has setback in rehab of knee

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Yankees' Stroman has setback in rehab of knee

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman had a setback as he tries to return from a left knee injury that has sidelined him for the past month.

Manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Stroman still had “discomfort” in the knee after throwing a live batting practice session in Tampa, Florida, on Friday and will be reevaluated before the team figures out the next step in his rehabilitation process.

“He’s gotten a lot of treatments on it and stuff,” Boone said. “It just can’t kind of get over that final hump to really allow him to get to that next level on the mound. We’ll try and continue to get our arms around it and try and make sure we get that out of there.”

Stroman hasn’t pitched since allowing five runs in two-thirds of an inning against the San Francisco Giants on April 11. He was placed on the 15-day injured list the next day with what Boone hoped at the time would be a short-term absence.

But there is no timeline for the right-hander’s return, and Boone said the injury likely impacted the way Stroman pitched before going on the IL. He was 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in three starts.

“Certainly that last start, I think he just couldn’t really step on that front side like he needed to,” Boone said. “I talk about how these guys are like race cars, and one little thing off and it can affect just that last level of command or that last level of extra stuff that you need. So we’ll continue to try to get him where we need to.”

Stroman had surgery March 19, 2015, to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. He returned to a major league mound that Sept. 12.

Stroman, 34, is in the second season of a two-year contract guaranteeing $37 million. His deal includes a $16 million conditional player option for 2026 that could be exercised if he pitches in at least 140 innings this year.

Last season, Stroman was 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) when he threw 154⅔ innings, his most since 2021 with the Mets. Stroman struggled in the second half and did not pitch in the postseason, when the Yankees made their first World Series appearance since 2009.

In other injury news, DJ LeMahieu played for the second straight day on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday and could join the team in Seattle this week to make his season debut. LeMahieu had a cortisone injection last week in his right hip, dealing with an injury stemming from last year.

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