Toronto’s $500-million man is on his way back to the All-Star Game.
Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been named as a starter for the American League All-Star team, beating out New York Yankees star Paul Goldschmidt for the top spot.
Guerrero earned 75 per cent of the vote to take the starting spot at first — the fourth time in his career that he gets the starting nod and the fifth time overall that the Blue Jay superstar heads to the annual exhibition.
The 26-year-old has done an incredible job powering the surging Blue Jays this year, batting .278 with a .828 OPS, 12 home runs and 44 RBIs. He also has a team-leading 52 runs.
Nearly joining Guerrero as a starter was catcher Alejandro Kirk, but he was beat out for the starting spot by Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh, who leads MLB with 33 home runs this season.
Yankees superstar Aaron Judge was the leading vote-getter in the American League, while Shohei Ohtani led the way in the National League.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will have three fan-elected starters in the All-Star Game for the first time in 45 years, with first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith joining designated hitter Ohtani as winners in final ballot totals announced Wednesday.
Detroit will have three fan-picked starters for the first time since 2007 after second baseman Gleyber Torres, along with outfielders Riley Greene and Javier Báez, were voted in at their positions for the July 15 game at Atlanta’s Truist Park.
There will be nine first-time starters for the second time in three years. Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson will be joined by Greene, Ryan O’Hearn, Raleigh and Torres in the AL lineup and Pete Crow-Armstrong, Francisco Lindor, Smith and Kyle Tucker in the NL lineup.
Freeman is the senior All-Star, picked for the ninth time and his fifth as a starter. He will return to Atlanta, where he starred from 2010-21.
Machado and Judge were both selected for the seventh time — all of Judge’s were as a starter.
Guerrero, Judge, Marte, Ohtani and Ramírez were holdovers from last year’s elected starters.
Pitchers and reserves will be announced on Sunday.
Here’s a look at the full list of All-Star starting lineups:
National League
C: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
1B: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
2B: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
SS: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
3B: Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
OF: Ronald Acuna, Atlanta Braves
OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
OF: Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
American League
C: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
2B: Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers
SS: Jacob Wilson, Athletics
3B: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
OF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
OF: Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers
OF: Javier Baez, Detroit Tigers
DH: Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles
— With files from the Associated Press
