Cabrera an All-Star longshot

The American League All-Star balloting was updated Tuesday, and the Angels’ Vladimir Guerrero was the leading vote-getter among outfielders.

Shortstop Orlando Cabrera, of course, was nowhere to be found, even though he is having the best all-around season -- .332 average, 40 runs, 19 doubles, 30 runs batted in, .988 fielding percentage -- of any AL shortstop.

Derek Jeter of the Yankees has virtually locked up the starting spot, with almost three times as many votes as his nearest competitors, Miguel Tejada (Baltimore) and Carlos Guillen (Detroit).

“It doesn’t bother me,” Cabrera said. “It would be ridiculous to think I would be leading any vote over all those guys who have done it for so many years.”

Cabrera’s only hope of making his first All-Star team is as a reserve, but with Guerrero, John Lackey and Francisco Rodriguez virtual locks and Scot Shields and Kelvim Escobar making strong cases, it would be a stretch to think the Angels could send five or six players.

Tejada could make it as the Orioles’ only representative, and Guillen’s chances improve because Detroit’s Jim Leyland will manage the AL club. Cabrera could go as a second baseman.

“He’s played at an All-Star level for several years,” Manager Mike Scioscia said, “but that’s a tough position to crack the All-Star team.”

Cabrera knows.

“That’s something I definitely want to accomplish,” he said. “I’ll let destiny decide.”

*

The roster move the Angels make to activate infielder Maicer Izturis, who began a rehabilitation assignment at Rancho Cucamonga Monday, is not as clear-cut as it seems.

Reserve outfielder Nathan Haynes is the logical choice to be sent to triple-A Salt Lake, but even though Haynes made his major league debut last week, he is out of minor league options because he was removed from the Angels’ 40-man roster three times during his minor league career.

That means one of the other 29 teams could claim the speedy Haynes, who hit .391 with 32 RBIs at Salt Lake, off waivers before the Angels could send him down.

The Angels have little doubt Haynes would be claimed if they tried to option him. “We can’t take him off the roster,” one team official said, “or we’ll lose him.”

That means Shea Hillenbrand, who just lost his designated hitter job, could be in danger of being designated for assignment, or infielder Erick Aybar could be demoted.

“There are a lot of things to look at when we need to make a move,” Scioscia said. “We’re hoping to keep everyone.”

*

Reliever Justin Speier, out since April 30 because of an intestinal infection, has aborted his minor league rehabilitation assignment and returned to Arizona to build stamina and attempt to rid himself of the symptoms -- nausea, lack of appetite, abnormal sleep patterns -- that have bothered him for six weeks.

Speier, who had a 1.69 earned-run average in 15 games in April, threw 1 2/3 innings for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday but did not feel well enough to pitch Sunday. Speier threw in the bullpen Monday, but with no chance of his returning in the next 10 days or so, the Angels sent him back to their spring training complex.

“He’s just not up to pitching now,” Scioscia said. “He seems to make progress, and then he doesn’t rebound the way he’d like. We hope it isn’t [a serious] setback.”

--

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com