Mookie Betts & Trea Turner advance to 2nd round of All-Star balloting

Outfielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Trea Turner moved on to the next phase of fan voting to potentially start for the National League in the All-Star at Dodger Stadium on July 19.

Betts received 3,479,480 votes from fans though the first phase of balloting, second-most in the National League. Betts was leading all NL players in votes in the first two partial updates released in the last 10 days. But in the end, Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. passed Betts with 3,503,188 votes, earning the top NL spot and the automatic starting spot that comes with it.

Aaron Judge of the Yankees also will start in the outfield as the top vote-getter in the American League, receiving 3,762,498 votes.

The top two at each position from Phase 1 of voting move onto Phase 2, which runs from Tuesday, July 5 at 9 a.m. PT to Friday, July 8 at 11 a.m. PT. Vote totals reset in Phase 2. The outfield usually would have the top six advance, though with Acuña and Judge earning automatic starts, it becomes a battle between four outfielders in each league for two spots.

Turner got the most votes at shortstop during Phase 1 (2,177,710). He’ll be pitted against Dansby Swanson (1,985,444 votes in Phase 1) of the Braves during Phase 2. The two have remarkably similar statistics this season.

Turner made his first All-Star team in 2021 with the Nationals, voted in as a reserve by the players.

The other NL outfield finalists, vying with Betts for two outfield starting spots, are old friend Joc Pederson, Starling Marte, and Adam Duvall.

Betts has been an All-Star five previous times, voted in as a starter from 2016-18 and tabbed as a reserve in 2019 with the Red Sox. He was elected by players as a reserve with the Dodgers in 2021, but opted not to play as he was dealing with nagging injuries.

Whether he plays in this year’s midsummer classic remains to be seen. Betts is on the injured list with a fractured rib, and just restarted baseball activities on Tuesday. Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday in Colorado that he’s optimistic Betts could return before the All-Star break, but that he might be the designated hitter when he first returns.

“Swinging of the bat is not as bothersome as throwing,” Roberts said, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “Hopefully that continues to progress and he’ll be back with us sooner than later.”

Betts last played on June 15.

All-Star starters will be announced at 4 p.m. PT on July 8, with the rest of the rosters revealed at 2:30 p.m. PT on Sunday. Both roster announcements will be on ESPN.