SAN FRANCISCO -- Finally healthy, Yoenis Cespedes is producing at the type of clip the Mets expect. But he'll need more than a few good days to jump ahead of the leaders on the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot.
Cespedes remained ninth in the final tally of National League voting released Monday by Major League Baseball, trailing third-place Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna by nearly half a million votes. At 785,178 total votes, Cespedes is also 2.8 million behind leader Bryce Harper of the Nationals, who is unlikely to be caught in the online ballot's final days.
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Had Cespedes not missed more than a month of the season due to hamstring and quad strains, he might currently rank among Harper, Charlie Blackmon, Ozuna and the other National League leaders. As it was, Cespedes mustered just six home runs before landing on the disabled list in April, then played sporadically upon his return. But Cespedes returned to a normal schedule this week on the West Coast, collecting hits -- including his ninth home run -- in four straight games in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
If he had enough plate appearances to qualify, Cespedes would rank fourth in the NL with a 1.015 OPS, ahead of even Harper.
"I think he's healed," manager Terry Collins said Sunday. "Is he 100 percent like if he had two months off? I don't think anybody's in that kind of condition anymore. But I think he's done fine. I think he's running fine. I think he's handled himself well."
Should Cespedes' late push for votes fall short, the Mets' most likely All-Star may be Jay Bruce, who ranks 13th in fan voting but is tied for second in the NL with 20 home runs -- also tied for the most among outfielders. Bruce may be a more likely All-Star at this point than Michael Conforto, a write-in candidate on the online ballot whose bat has cooled in recent weeks.
Fans do not vote for pitchers, but Jacob deGrom is also building an All-Star case with a 3-0 record and 0.72 ERA over his last three starts. Though deGrom's season ERA remains a pedestrian 3.71, he ranks fourth in the NL with 113 strikeouts.
Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB.com At Bat and MLB.com Ballpark mobile apps.
The Esurance All-Star Selection Show will take place on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Following the unveiling of the 2017 All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. Then on Tuesday, July 11, while watching the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
The 88th Midsummer Classic, at Marlins Park in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM will have comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.