AL All-Star voting updates

The league just announced the latest in the All-Star Game voting for the American League. Here’s where it stands. The only particularly close race right now is for the third outfield slot, which is a three-way deal between Nelson Cruz, Jose Bautista and Adam Jones.

Catcher
Mike Napoli: 1,640,160
Joe Mauer: 912,997

First Base
Prince Fielder: 1,421,786
Paul Konerko: 1,147,089

Second Base
Ian Kinsler: 1,920,364
Robinson Cano: 1,732,359

Shortstop
Derek Jeter: 2,419,508
Elvis Andrus: 1,448,544

Third Base
Adrian Beltre: 1,634,057
Miguel Cabrera: 1,313,063

Outfield
Josh Hamilton: 3,833,504
Curtis Granderson:2,033,239
Nelson Cruz: 1,398,534
Jose Bautista: 1,357,784
Adam Jones: 1,318,091

Designated Hitter
David Ortiz: 1,758,369
Michael Young: 1,396,802

The National League voting will be updated tomorrow.

The Tigers signed catcher Josh Thole to a minor league deal, per an announcement from the Double-A Erie SeaWolves on Friday. Thole is expected to report to Double-A Erie, where he’ll split time with starting catcher Jake Rogers.

Thole, 31, has not appeared in a major or minor league game since 2016. He signed a minors deal with the Diamondbacks back in 2017, but was sidelined through most of the season after undergoing hamstring surgery in April. He was released by the team during spring training and failed to catch on with another major league club through the first two months of the 2018 season.

While the veteran backstop hasn’t tested his skills in pro ball for several years now, he held his own during a short-lived run with the independent New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League. Over 17 games in 2018, Thole batted .317/.425/.367 with three extra-base hits and a .791 OPS in 75 plate appearances. He’s expected to serve as catching depth within the Tigers’ organization, but may yet work his way back to the majors if he can get his average back over the Mendoza Line again — a feat he hasn’t managed since 2015.