ANAHEIM -- Angels star Michael Trout added another accolade to his impressive resume on Sunday afternoon, earning his sixth consecutive All-Star Game selection and fifth fan-elected starting assignment. The slugger, however, will continue his rehab from thumb surgery and miss All-Star Week festivities and the Midsummer Classic.
After garnering 3,208,925 votes, Trout was chosen to start in center field for the American League at the 2017 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, which will be held on July 11 at Marlins Park in Miami. At 25, Trout has tied the Angels' franchise record for most All-Star nods, matching Jim Fregosi and Hall of Famer Rod Carew, who also made six appearances each.
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Trout, who did not speak to reporters on Sunday, underwent surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb on May 31, but his hefty production over the first two months of the season was still enough to merit his selection to the Midsummer Classic. Prior to the injury, Trout was off to the best start of his career, batting .337 with a 1.203 OPS, 16 home runs, 36 RBIs and 10 stolen bases over 47 games.
"It's an honor well-deserved," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
The two-time American League MVP winner began taking batting practice last week. Trout will then work out with Class A Advanced Inland Empire on Tuesday and begin a rehab assignment there once he demonstrates "physical readiness," general manager Billy Eppler said.
Scioscia said Trout will require five to seven rehab games before he's ready to be activated off the disabled list.
"A lot of this is going to be determined on how he comes out of his workouts and how he feels," Scioscia said. "We're not going to miss any steps. We're going to take it one step at a time with Mike. There's no doubt he's making progress and getting close, but it's something you just can't rush."
Fans can cast ballots for the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com, Club sites and their mobile devices until 1 p.m. PT on Thursday. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, will then be announced during "MLB Tonight" live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 6 p.m. Extensive coverage throughout the Final Vote will be provided by MLB Network and MLB.com, including interviews with the candidates, frequent updates, heat maps indicating where votes are being cast for each candidate, news on player and club campaigns, and a running countdown clock leading up to the announcement.
Now in its 16th season, with more than 680 million votes cast, the Final Vote again will include social votes on the last day of balloting, as Twitter support for the 10 candidates over the final six hours of balloting will count toward their vote totals. From 7 a.m.-1 p.m. PT on Thursday, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the official vote total used to determine the winners.
On Tuesday, July 11, at 4:30 p.m. PT, tune in to the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 88th All-Star Game, in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.