The Los Angeles Dodgers Cody Bellinger, Kenley Jansen, Clayton Kershaw and Corey Seager named to the National League roster for the 2017 All-Star Game, but noticeably absent were Justin Turner and Alex Wood.
It’s plausible Wood reaches the Midsummer Classic as a replacement for a pitcher who’s unavailable or injured. He may not need to look any further than Kershaw, who is scheduled to pitch in the Dodgers’ final game of the first half on Sunday, July 9.
Meanwhile, Turner is among a group of five for the Final Vote. The All-Star selection would be the first of Turner’s career.
He’s competing against Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds, Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour and Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon.
Voting begins immediately on Dodgers.com and MLB.com/vote, and concludes Thursday, July 6, at 1:00 p.m. PT.
In addition, voting can be completed via mobile ballot and by SMS text voting. Text “N5” to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada) to vote for Turner. Voting by text message is limited to 35 per phone number.
From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT on Thursday, July 6, tweets with #VoteJT will also count. Among players with 200 at-bats, Turner entered play Sunday leading the Majors with a .388 batting average and .473 on-base percentage.
When Turner landed on the disabled list because of a hamstring strain, he led all qualified players with a .379 batting average. Due to missing three weeks with the injury, he’s not yet logged enough plate appearances to rank among league leaders.
