CLEVELAND -- Jamey Carroll was caught off guard when he looked over his All-Star ballot before Saturday's game.

"Wow," Carroll said. "I'm actually on here."

Carroll shouldn't have been so shocked. Those who produce usually don't go unnoticed by the watchful eye of Major League Baseball.

Carroll, who has become the Tribe's everyday second baseman since Asdrubal Cabrera was demoted to Triple-A Buffalo and Josh Barfield went down with a left middle finger injury, has provided the Cleveland lineup with more offense than the average utility infielder.

In his last 17 games, Carroll, who has hit primarily in the two-hole, is batting .422 (27-for-64) with eight RBIs and seven multi-hit games.

Carroll was surprisingly not in the lineup for Sunday's Ohio Cup finale against the Reds, despite being one of the few hot bats for the Tribe's tepid offense of late.

"Just one of those days," Carroll said.

Jorge Velandia got the start at second base Sunday.

Manager Eric Wedge, who is unavailable for comment before day games, has been one of Carroll's biggest supporters during the 34-year-old's hot streak. He had seen Carroll come up through the Minors and isn't really surprised by his strong play.

"One thing we did know is Jamey had played every day before," Wedge said Friday. "I knew what type of player he was. He's a baseball player. He's tough."

Playing largely as a utility player throughout his seven-year career in the Majors, Carroll said he has had a number of opportunities -- coming mostly from injuries -- to show off his strengths. He won't go as far as saying this has been his best year, remembering his 2006 season with the Rockies, when he hit .300 and collected 123 hits.

But it's certainly near the top.

"It's kind of the same situation," Carroll said. "It's been good, and hopefully, I'll keep working hard and we'll be able to win some games."