Altuve ahead in All-Star vote; Gonzalez has hand contusion
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jose Altuve has taken a commanding lead over Starlin Castro of the Yankees as the top vote getter among American League second basemen in balloting for July’s All-Star Game in Miami, according to the update provided Tuesday by Major League Baseball.
Altuve, who trailed Castro by 536 votes last week, has opened up a lead of a whopping 219,408. His 998,107 vote total ranks third among all AL players, behind only the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (1,251,543) and the Angels’ Mike Trout (1,115,356).
Carlos Correa still ranks second among AL shortstops, though he has cut his deficit to the Indians’ Francisco Lindor from 348,720 last week to 180,042 on Tuesday.
Brian McCann remains in third place among catchers, trailing leader Salvador Perez of the Royals by 180,790.
George Springer and Carlos Beltran shot up from 13th and 14th to seventh and eighth among outfielders, respectively. Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel and Evan Gattis rank fifth among third basemen, first basemen and designated hitters, respectively. Josh Reddick is 14th among outfielders.
Already a four-time All-Star, Altuve is vying to join Hall of Famer Craig Biggio as the only Astros to start at least three consecutive All-Star games. (Biggio started four straight from 1995-98.) The Astros’ star three-hole batter came into Tuesday leading all major league second baseman in FanGraphs’ version of wins above replacement (2.4).
Voting, conducted through MLB.com, ends June 29 at 10:59 p.m.
Gonzalez won’t require DL stint
Marwin Gonzalez avoided a stint on the 10day disabled list stemming from the left hand injury he sustained during the Astros’ 7-3 win Monday night over the Royals.
Gonzalez said Tuesday he was diagnosed with only a contusion. Astros manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged Gonzalez, who did not play in Tuesday night’s 9-7 loss to Kansas City, “may need a day or two” before returning to the lineup.
“It’s feeling pretty sore,” Gonzalez said, “but it’s nothing bad.”
Gonzalez, whose spike in production has been perhaps the biggest surprise of the Astros’ incredible start to the season, pounded his hand into the ground on hard feet-first slides into second base and third base in the sixth inning of Monday’s game. In the process, he aggravated an injury he had managed to play through since a similar slide two weekends ago during the Astros’ home series against the Orioles.
The Astros will order a protective pad to try to alleviate the issue in the future. Gonzalez said he will also try to slide headfirst more often. He said Monday the soreness affected him more when swinging righthanded than lefthanded.
Entering Tuesday night’s slate of games, Gonzalez ranked fourth in the American League in OPS (1.044) among players with at least 160 plate appearances. Of the Astros’ 12 position players, he entered Tuesday ranked fourth in FanGraphs’ version of wins above replacement (1.8) behind Jose Altuve (2.4), Carlos Correa (2.3) and George Springer (1.9).
Cuban pitcher agrees to deal
The Astros reportedly will add another member to their 2016-17 international class before the current signing period ends June 15.
According to Baseball America, the Astros have agreed to terms on a $2 million bonus with 20-year-old Cuban righthander Elian Rodriguez. The signing, which is pending a physical, will cost the Astros $4 million after an overage tax levied because they overspent their allotted international bonus pool.
The team has not confirmed the deal.
Odds and ends
Joe Musgrove (shoulder inflammation) played catch for a second consecutive day Tuesday and, according to manager A.J. Hinch, should throw a bullpen session Thursday or Friday. The team is expected to decide Friday or Saturday whether Musgrove will start Sunday against the Angels. …
Charlie Morton (lat strain) has increased his activity in the weight room but still has yet to resume throwing. …
Struggling Astros top pitching prospect Francis Martes (0-2, 5.29 ERA) is scheduled to make his ninth start in Class AAA on Wednesday night at Sacramento.