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Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. still leads All-Star voting. And Anderson returns from IL

Jazz Chisholm Jr. remains on pace to be a starter in the 2022 MLB All-Star Game.

Chisholm remained the leading vote-getter among National League second basemen in the league’s latest voting update that was announced Monday afternoon.

Phase 1 of All-Star voting closes at 2 p.m. Thursday. The top two at every position — top-six for outfielders — will advance to Phase 2, where a head-to-head vote will take place to determine the starters for the All-Star Game, which takes place July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Each league’s top overall vote-getter, however, locks up his spot in the game and bypass Phase 2. Fans can vote five times per day at MLB.com.

As of Monday, Chisholm had 1,066,927 votes. The Atlanta Braves’ Ozzie Albies (984,846) and the New York Mets’ Jeff McNeil (945,335) are second and third.

The 24-year-old Chisholm leads NL second basemen in OPS (.864), slugging (.538), home runs (14) and triples (four). Should Chisholm get voted in, he will be the first Miami Marlins player to be voted as a starter since Marcell Ozuna in 2017 and the first Bahamian-born player to be named an All-Star.

Chisholm, who has been dealing with back spasms, was not in the Marlins’ starting lineup Monday to begin a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Brian Anderson returns

The Marlins on Monday activated third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson from the injured list and optioned Luke Williams to Triple A Jacksonville.

Anderson had been sidelined since May 28 with lower back spasms. He batted seventh and played third base.

“I feel good,” said Anderson, who played rehab assignment games in Jacksonville on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before joining Miami on the road trip. “I’m excited to get back in there. It’s been a while since I’ve been in there.”

His return gets the Marlins one step closer to full strength with their position player group. Infielder Joey Wendle, also sidelined since late May, started a rehab assignment this weekend with Triple A Jacksonville and should be nearing a return as well. Wendle is still with Triple A Jacksonville.

“It gives us one of our guys back,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Anderson’s return. “Hopefully, we’re trending toward getting more of our club together that we envisioned when we started.”

Moment still not lost on Fortes

Even a day later, Marlins catcher Nick Fortes is still taken aback at what happened on Sunday.

First, he hit a walk-off home run — the first of his MLB career — to lead the Marlins to a win over the New York Mets to avoid a series sweep.

And then, while the team was flying to St. Louis, he got to watch his alma mater Ole Miss win its first Men’s College World Series by beating Oklahoma 4-2 in Omaha, Nebraska.

“One of the best days I’ve had in a long time,” Fortes said Monday.

Fortes played for the Rebels from 2016 to 2018 before being drafted by the Marlins in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Two members of the Rebels’ championship team — first baseman Tim Elko and reliever Max Cioffi — were freshmen during Fortes’ final season at Ole Miss.

“I was part of a lot of good teams [at Ole Miss] that didn’t have the opportunity to get to do what they did,” Fortes said.

But considering where Fortes is now, things seem to have worked out just fine.

More injury updates

Right-handed pitcher Anthony Bender (back) is continuing his rehab at the Marlins’ spring training complex in Jupiter.

Right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera (right elbow tendonitis) is throwing from 90 feet.

Left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo (left forearm strain) from 105 feet.

Right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet (right elbow) threw a 36-pitch bullpen on Monday and is scheduled to throw between 15 and 20 pitches in a Florida Complex League game on Thursday.

Right-handed pitcher Sixto Sanchez (right shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday.

Right-handed pitcher Cole Sulser (right lat) played catch Monday and has been throwing on flat ground from 90 and 105 feet.

Right-handed pitcher Louis Head (left shoulder) is scheduled to start a throwing program on Wednesday.