Bautista making late charge in ASG voting

TORONTO -- Jose Bautista is making another late charge to potentially secure a fourth consecutive appearance at the All-Star Game.

Bautista joined the American League outfield leaders in fan voting when the final balloting update was released on Monday afternoon.

The 32-year-old Bautista previously was ranked fourth, but has since moved into third behind Los Angeles' Mike Trout and Baltimore's Adam Jones.

Bautista has a total of 2,679,230 votes as the balloting process enters its final stretch. He is just ahead of Baltimore's Nick Markakis, who has 2,536,864 votes for the 84th All-Star Game, set to take place at Citi Field in New York.

June was a rough month for Bautista, but he began to turn things around during the Blue Jays' recent four-game series in Boston. Bautista hit three homers, including a game-tying solo shot during the ninth inning of Sunday afternoon's series finale.

The Dominican Republic native, who has RBIs in seven of his last nine games entering Monday, ranks among AL leaders with 19 home runs (tied for sixth), 53 runs scored (tied for sixth) and 43 walks (tied for sixth). He leads all Major Leaguers with 143 home runs since the start of the 2010 season.

Bautista has been voted into the All-Star Game in each of the past two seasons. He has a chance to become the second Blue Jays player to receive three fan-elected starting assignments, joining Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, who earned four straight at second base from 1991-94.

Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion held onto third place in fan voting but remains well back of Boston's David Ortiz. Encarnacion, who was scratched from the lineup with a sore left hamstring, has a total of 1,688,099 votes, while Ortiz has a commanding lead at 4,398,197.

Encarnacion arguably has been the Blue Jays' most valuable player in 2013. He entered Monday hitting .270, with a team-leading 23 homers and 66 RBIs in 81 games. Encarnacion is still looking for his first appearance at an All-Star Game after being passed over last season in favor of Kansas City's Billy Butler.

Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or via a mobile device -- using the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot until Thursday, July 4, at 8:59 p.m. PT.

Fans may submit 25 online ballots during the voting period, but can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, fans must be logged into an MLB.com account when submitting any online ballot. To obtain an MLB.com account, visit www.mlb.com and register in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Fans can also once again participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league whom they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2013 Home Run Derby -- part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day -- will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 15.

Though originally scheduled for July 7, the 2013 rosters will now be unveiled Saturday, July 6, at 6:30 p.m. ET on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Taco Bell. The show will be televised nationally on FOX.

From Saturday, July 6 to Thursday, July 11, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by freecreditscore.com for the final player for each League's All-Star roster.

And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

The 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 16. Come to MLB.com for extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.

The 84th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM also will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.