ATLANTA — Six Braves players were on the National League’s All-Star team in 2022. Three of them won’t represent the team this year. Dansby Swanson and William Contreras play elsewhere, and injuries have limited lefty Max Fried to five starts. Yet the Braves still could send six players to MLB’s showcase game again.
Final All-Star rosters won’t be announced until July 2. Starters other than the pitchers will be determined by fan voting through next week. The Braves should have three players in that lineup. Sean Murphy and outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. are clear choices. Orlando Arcia isn’t because the competition is stiffer at his position, but he should be the NL’s starting shortstop.
Arcia had the most votes among shortstops when MLB released an update last week. That was a bit surprising. Arcia is having a very good season, but he’s never been an All-Star and spent 24 days on the injured list. The two players directly behind Arcia in voting, Francisco Lindor and Xander Bogaerts, both have four previous All-Star selections.
