With the release of the updated votes for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, the Royals are on the verge of potentially having seven players in first place and in the starting lineup.

Baseball fans and writers from around the country aren’t thrilled with the dominance of the Royals in All-Star voting, particularly with players such as Omar Infante and Alex Rios among the leading vote-getters for the mid-summer classic.

Infante is in one of his worst hitting slumps, ever. Rios is just recently off the DL and struggling both in the field and the batters box.

Not even the majority of Royals fans would admit Rios and Infante belong in the game, and in many cases, are asking for manager Ned Yost to bench them for backups.

Still, to see so many Royals players on the list of top all-star votes is something of a dream considering where the organization has been for more than two decades.

Guys like Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, and Salvador Perez are 100-percent deserving of their votes and have made their case as all-stars at their positions.

After sweeping the Twins and taking back control of first place in the division, the Royals have dropped the first two games against baseball’s best team, the St. Louis Cardinals, who are now 20 games over .500.

The Royals have shot themselves in the foot on more than one occasion in the series through Sunday, but the bats and run production hasn’t been there.

Ace Yordano Ventura had to leave Friday’s game after four innings due to weakness in his throwing arm, and after evaluation, there appears to fluid and inflammation in his UCL, the ligament which can lead to Tommy John surgery.

The Royals aren’t concerned and say it’s more of a freak occurrence with Ventura, but for the sake of his future and the production for the rest of the season, the Royals would be wise to proceed with caution. Most analysts have said Ventura’s natural throwing motion makes it less likely he will ever have issues with his elbow.

To add even more strain on the pitching staff, starter Jason Vargas is back on the DL with a strained left forearm, an injury that has bugged him for much of the season.

Next up for Kansas City is Sunday’s closer against the Cardinals, followed by a road trip in Milwaukee to take on the Brewers before coming back home for a home series against the Red Sox.

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