All-Star Voting: Salvador Perez represents KC Royals in disappointing ballot update

The KC Royals have very few bright spots at this point of the 2023 season. Fans are now watching for pitcher Jordan Lyles to get his first, elusive win in a Royals uniform, to see if this team has the worst final record in MLB history, or for some exciting individuals. One of those singular players is none other than catcher Salvador Perez. Slavy has plenty of career accolades to his name, but the veteran face of Kansas City baseball is struggling in the All-Star Game voting.

Catcher Salvador Perez will have to battle for his All-Star spot in 2023.

MLB released an update on Phase 1 voting results ahead of this week's deadline. The Royals only have one appearance in the top 10 at any position in the American League, a sad reminder of how bad the 2023 season has been. Perez is currently second in the AL catcher voting standings, trailing the Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman. He is the clear leader with 895,217 votes so far. Perez trails him by a wide margin, sitting at 645,650. Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim is Perez's main competition, sitting third in votes with 643,471.

Perez, a six-time All-Star starter, is not having a bad year but not one that makes him the voting favorite. He currently leads all qualified AL catchers with 14 home runs and a .488 slugging, but that is about it. Rutschman leads the same group with a .824 OPS, and Heim has an astonishing 51 RBIs as of June 19. Perez had a great May performance, even landing on MLB's Team of the Month. But, that hot run has not carried far into June, seeing his All-Star chances dwindle alongside it.

Perez will hopefully earn his spot in Seattle during the voting's second phase. Phase two takes the top two vote-getters at every position, and the top six outfielders, and lets fans vote for the remaining starters. That phase beings on June 26.

Phase 1 ends at noon ET on Thursday, but you can still vote as many as five times per every 24-hour period at MLB.com, on all 30 MLB club sites, and on the MLB app.