Finalists announced for 2026 KONAMI eBaseball MLB All-Star Ballot

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers Leads Majors in Voting for First Time in Career to Draw Start at Designated Hitter in National League;

2025 Postseason Star Ernie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays to Start at Second Base for the American League After Finishing Phase 1 as Top Overall Vote-Getter in AL;

Phase 2 Voting Window to Decide Nearly All of the Midsummer Classic’s Starting Assignments Begins on Monday at 12:00 p.m. (ET);

FOX Sports to Unveil Starters and Full All-Star Rosters on Saturday, July 4th

Finalists for the 2026 KONAMI eBaseball^TM MLB All-Star Ballot were announced this evening on MLB Network. Two stars of the 2025 World Series, four-time unanimous Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and 2025 Postseason star Ernie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays, will bypass the second phase of voting after leading their respective leagues in voting during Phase 1 to earn automatic starting assignments at the 2026 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.

The second phase of voting, which begins on Monday, June 29^th at 12:00 p.m. (ET), features the top two vote-getters at each position (and the top six outfielders) in each League based on vote totals from Phase 1, which ran from June 3^rd-25^th.

Phase 2 voting, which is available exclusively online via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 Club web sites, the MLB App and the MLB Ballpark App will give fans the opportunity to vote among the finalists at each position during a window that concludes at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, July 2^nd. During this second phase of voting, in which fans can vote once per day on MLB platforms, vote totals will reset (i.e., vote totals from Phase 1 do not carry over) and the winner at each position (including three outfielders per league) will be named a starting position player for the 2026 Midsummer Classic.

Ohtani led all Major Leaguers with 3,341,257 total votes to pace the Majors in voting for the first time in his career. The two-way superstar, who led the American League in voting in 2023 and led the National League in voting in 2025, became the third Dodgers player to lead all Major Leaguers since All-Star balloting was returned to the fans in 1970, joining Davey Lopes (1980) and Cody Bellinger (2019). Ohtani, who will make his sixth trip to the Midsummer Classic and his sixth consecutive fan-elected start at designated hitter (2021-23 in the AL; 2024-26 in the NL), had already been the first player ever to win as many as four straight fan elections at the position. The Dodgers have now claimed the starting designated hitter spot in the NL lineup in four straight seasons as Ohtani’s three consecutive starts follow the fan-elected start by J.D. Martinez in 2023.

Clement paced the AL and ranked second in the Majors behind Ohtani with 3,232,932 total votes to claim his first All-Star Game selection. The New York native became the first Blue Jays player to lead the AL in voting since his teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led all of Baseball in voting for the 2021 Midsummer Classic. Additionally, the 30-year-old Clement is now Toronto’s first fan-elected second baseman since Marcus Semien in 2021.

Click here for full vote tallies from Phase 1 of balloting.

American League Finalists
(With Phase 1 Vote Totals)

Catcher

• Shea Langeliers, Athletics (2,077,756): Aiming for his first All-Star selection, Langeliers would become the first A’s catcher to win a fan-elected starting assignment since Terry Steinbach won consecutive fan elections in 1988-89. In addition, a fan election by Langeliers would give the AL its eighth straight different fan-elected catcher.
• Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays (1,488,788): Bidding for his third All-Star selection (2022, 2025) and second fan-elected starting assignment (2022), Kirk is already the only Blue Jays backstop to win a fan election. Kirk would join Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (4), José Bautista (4), Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar (4) and Joe Carter (2) as the only players in franchise history with multiple fan elections.

First Base

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays (2,459,950): The fan-elected starting first baseman in each of the last two years and in four of the last five seasons is aiming to become the first Blue Jays player with five fan elections. A third straight fan election by Guerrero would mark the first such accomplishment by an AL first baseman since Hall of Famer Frank Thomas (1994-96). The five-time All-Star led the Majors in fan voting in 2021 before claiming the Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP presented by Chevrolet.
• Ben Rice, New York Yankees (1,280,614): Seeking his first career All-Star selection, Rice is bidding to become the first fan-elected starting first baseman for the Yankees since Mark Teixeira in 2009.

Third Base

• Kazuma Okamoto, Toronto Blue Jays (2,125,888): In his first Major League season following 11 seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, Okamoto is bidding to become just Toronto’s second fan-elected starting third baseman along with Josh Donaldson during his AL MVP Award-winning 2015 season. The 29-year-old is attempting to become the second rookie third baseman to claim the AL’s starting assignment in the last four years after Josh Jung of the Texas Rangers won the fan election during his 2023 rookie season.
• Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (2,103,882): An All-Star in 2025, Caminero is vying for his second trip to the Midsummer Classic and his first as a fan-elected starter. The 22-year-old is trying to join Evan Longoria (2009-10) as the only third basemen in Rays’ history to earn a fan election, and he would become just the eight different Rays player in history to win a fan-elected start, joining Randy Arozarena, Jose Canseco, Carl Crawford, Yandy Díaz, Corey Dickerson, Longoria and Wilson Ramos.

Shortstop

• Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals (2,513,492): The 2024 AL MVP runner-up is seeking his third consecutive All-Star selection and his first fan election, and he would join Fred Patek (1978) and Alcides Escobar (2015) as the only Royals to win fan elections at the position. Regardless of the Phase 2 outcome, the fan election at shortstop in the AL will mark the league’s ninth consecutive different fan-elected starting shortstop.
• Andrés Giménez, Toronto Blue Jays (1,554,020): An All-Star with the Cleveland Guardians in 2022, Giménez is vying for his second trip to the Midsummer Classic and his first fan election. The three-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner is bidding to become Toronto’s first-ever fan-elected starting shortstop since All-Star Balloting was returned to the fans in 1970.

Designated Hitter

• Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros (2,911,655): Aiming for his fourth All-Star selection and second fan election after winning the fan-elected starting assignment at designated hitter in 2024. The 2019 AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year would be the first Astros player to win multiple fan elections at DH and could become just the third Astros player overall with multiple fan elections since Houston moved to the AL in 2013, joining his teammate Jose Altuve (6) and former teammate and Phase 2 opponent George Springer (2).
• George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays (1,414,299): The four-time All-Star is competing for his third career fan election, including his first since joining the Blue Jays in 2021 and his first at designated hitter following fan elections in the outfield (2017, 2019). The 36-year-old Springer, who was the Willie Mays Most Valuable Player of the 2017 Fall Classic, would become the first fan-elected starting designated hitter for Toronto.

Outfield

• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (2,567,404): Seeking his eighth trip to the Midsummer Classic and his eighth fan election, Judge led all of Baseball in All-Star Balloting in 2025, accomplishing the feat for the third time in his career. With a fan-elected starting assignment, the three-time AL MVP would join Hall of Famer Derek Jeter (9) as the only players in franchise history with as many as eight fan elections. Along with teammate Cody Bellinger, the duo is hoping to become the third pair of Yankees of outfielders to win fan elections together in the last five years (Judge/Giancarlo Stanton in 2022; Judge/Juan Soto in 2024).
• Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (2,511,587): The three-time MVP and 11-time All-Star, who grew up less than 50 miles from Philadelphia in Millville, New Jersey, is seeking to become the 12^th player ever with 11 career fan elections, joining Cal Ripken Jr. (17); Rod Carew (15); Ken Griffey Jr. (13); Barry Bonds (12); Alex Rodriguez (12); Iván Rodríguez (12); Ozzie Smith (12); George Brett (11); Tony Gwynn (11); Reggie Jackson (11); and Mike Piazza (11). Additionally, Trout, who was the 2019 AL leading vote-getter, would become just the third player in AL history to earn at least 11 fan elections with one Club, joining Ripken (BAL, 17) and Brett (KC, 11).
• Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (1,789,018): A two-time All-Star (2022, 2025), Buxton is seeking his first fan election and the first fan-elected starting assignment for a Twins outfielder since Torii Hunter in 2002. The 2017 Rawlings AL Platinum Glove Award Winner would become just the 10^th different Twins player to earn a fan-elected start, joining Hall of Famer Rod Carew (9); Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett (6); Hall of Famer Joe Mauer (4); Hunter (1); Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew (1); Justin Morneau (1); Hall of Famer Tony Oliva (1); Jorge Polanco (1); and Roy Smalley (1).
• Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees (1,614,585): Bidding for his third career All-Star selection and second fan-elected starting assignment. Bellinger previously made trips to the Midsummer Classic as a member of the Dodgers in his 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Award-winning season and as a fan-elected starting outfielder in his 2019 NL MVP Award-winning season.
• Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays (1,336,544) & Jesús Sánchez, Toronto Blue Jays (1,260,762): Varsho and Sánchez are each seeking their first career trip to the Midsummer Classic. The pair are each attempting to become the first Blue Jays outfielder to win a fan election since Teoscar Hernández in 2021. They are also hoping to become the only pair of Blue Jays teammates to ever win fan elections together in the AL outfield. The duo is also attempting to give the AL outfield fan-elected starting teammates for the third consecutive year following the aforementioned pair of Judge and Soto in 2024, and Detroit’s Riley Greene and Javier Báez in 2025.

National League Finalists
(With Phase 1 Vote Totals)

Catcher

• Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves (2,518,574): Seeking his first career Midsummer Classic selection, the 2025 NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year would become the fourth Braves backstop to win a fan election, joining Javy Lopez (2003); Brian McCann (2011); and Sean Murphy (2023). Additionally, a fan election by Baldwin would mark the first fan election for a reigning NL Rookie of the Year since his teammate Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2019. The 2026 All-Star Game could become the fourth consecutive Midsummer Classic to feature a reigning Rookie of the Year, following Paul Skenes 2024 NL ROY; 2025 All-Star); Gunnar Henderson (2023 AL ROY; 2024 All-Star); and Julio Rodríguez (2022 AL ROY; 2023 All-Star).
• Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers (1,871,805): An All-Star in each of the last three seasons, Smith is contending for his second consecutive fan election and could become the first Dodgers catcher to accomplish that feat since Hall of Famer Mike Piazza claimed four straight fan-elected starting assignments with Los Angeles from 1994-97.

First Base

• Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers (2,666,008): The nine-time All-Star is attempting to pick up his sixth fan-elected starting assignment after winning five of the last seven fan elections (2018-21, 2023, 2025). The 2020 NL MVP was the last NL first baseman to win consecutive fan elections, doing so in three straight years with Atlanta (2018-21), and prior to that, the last to accomplish the feat was Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt (2014-15). Freeman is already one of only two Dodgers first basemen to win a fan election along with Steve Garvey (1974-80).
• Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (2,015,757): Bidding for his fourth career All-Star selection (2021, 2023, 2025) and his first fan-elected starting assignment, Olson would be the fourth different Braves first baseman to win a fan election, joining Hall of Famer Hank Aaron (1973); Hall of Famer Fred McGriff (1995-96); and Freeman’s aforementioned three-year stretch.

Second Base

• Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves (1,498,141): A three-time All-Star (2018, 2021, 2023), Albies is bidding for his first fan-election and would become the third Atlanta second baseman to garner the honor along with Marcus Giles (2003) and Dan Uggla (2012).
• Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies (1,388,744): Competing for his first career trip to the Midsummer Classic and to become the third different Phillies second baseman to win a fan election, joining Mariano Duncan (1994) and Chase Utley (2006-10, 2014).

Third Base

• Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers (2,890,181): The two-time All-Star (2019, 2021) is bidding to join Ron Cey (1974-75, 1977) as the only Dodgers third baseman to win a fan election.
• Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies (1,423,564): After winning the 2024 fan election at third base for the NL, Bohm is seeking his second trip to the Midsummer Classic and to join Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt (9) as the only Phillies third basemen to win multiple fan elections.

Shortstop

• CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals (1,858,531): The 2024 NL All-Star is aiming for his first fan-elected starting assignment and to join Bryce Harper (5), Daniel Murphy (1), Alfonso Soriano (1) and Ryan Zimmerman (1) as the only players in Nationals’ history (since 2005) to win a fan election.
• Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (1,762,343): The eight-time All-Star and four-time fan-elected starter in the outfield is trying for his first fan election at shortstop. The 2018 AL MVP would join Trea Turner (2022) and Bill Russell (1980) as the only Dodgers shortstops to receive a fan election.

Outfield

• Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers (2,158,664): The 25-year-old is seeking his first career trip to the Midsummer Classic. Along with his teammate Hernández, the duo is trying to become the first pair of Dodgers outfielders to win fan elections in the same season.
• Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies (2,015,932): Bidding for his first All-Star Game selection, Marsh is aiming to become the first Phillies outfielder to draw a starting assignment since Raul Ibañez in 2009.
• Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves (1,723,945): The 2023 NL MVP is vying for his sixth All-Star selection and sixth fan election after winning fan-elected starting assignments in four straight All-Star Games from 2019-23 and in 2025. With a sixth fan election, Acuña would match surpass Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and Dale Murphy for the most in franchise history.
• Teoscar Hernández, Los Angeles Dodgers (1,569,932): The two-time All-Star (2021, 2024) is seeking his second fan election and first in the NL after earning the fan-elected start for the AL in 2021. Hernández, along with his teammate Andy Pages, is trying to give the Dodgers a fan-elected starting outfielder for the fifth time in the last eight All-Star Games (Matt Kemp, 2018; Cody Bellinger, 2019; and Mookie Betts, 2022-23). Additionally, the Dodgers duo along with the Braves duo, are trying to give the NL starting outfield teammates for a third consecutive year following San Diego’s Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2024 and Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker in 2025.
• Juan Soto, New York Mets (1,538,562): The four-time All-Star (2021-24) is bidding for his second career fan election and first in the NL after earning a fan-elected starting assignment in the AL in 2024. Soto is attempting to become the first Mets outfielder to win a fan election since Yoenis Céspedes in 2016.
• Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves (1,479,135): The 2022 NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year is competing for his first trip to the Midsummer Classic. Along with his teammate Acuña, the duo are trying to become the second pair of Braves teammates to win fan elections in the outfield along with Aaron and Rico Carty, who accomplished the feat in 1970, when All-Star voting was restored to the fans.

Overall, 13 Major League Clubs have advanced players from Phase 1, with the Blue Jays advancing a Major League-best eight players and the Dodgers advancing a NL-high seven players. Including Ohtani and Clement, 13 of the 34 players (38.2%) moving on from Phase 1 are internationally born, spanning seven different countries and territories outside of the 50 United States.

The NL All-Star Team, which will be managed by Dave Roberts of the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and the AL All-Star Team, led by John Schneider of the defending AL Champion Toronto Blue Jays, will each have nine elected starters via the fan balloting program. The pitchers and reserves for both squads – totaling 23 for each side – will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office. The full 2026 All-Star rosters, including the announcement of starters and reserves, will be revealed on the “MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by KONAMI” on Saturday, July 4^th at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on FOX ahead of FOX’s Baseball Night in America coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals visiting the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and the New York Mets visiting the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.

Like it did in Phase 1, the 2026 MLB All-Star Ballot will offer audio CAPTCHA functionality for visually impaired fans. Spanish-language ballots will be available to fans via MLB.com/vota and Japanese-language ballots will be available at MLB.com/ja/vote.

Fans will once again have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. During the Midsummer Classic, fans can vote exclusively at MLB.com and the 30 Club sites – online or via their mobile devices – with the 2026 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their collective voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining this year’s recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

The 96^th Midsummer Classic will mark the celebration of the Semiquincentennial of American independence and follows suit from 1976, when Veterans Stadium hosted the All-Star Game in the year of the nation’s Bicentennial. This year marks the fifth time that the City of Philadelphia will host the event, including the first time at their current ballpark. Previous Philadelphia sites to host the All-Star Game include Shibe Park, which staged the Midsummer Classic in 1943 (hosted by the Philadelphia A’s) and 1952, and the aforementioned Veterans Stadium, which also hosted the 1996 All-Star Game.

MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard (July 14^th); Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 13^th); All-Star Sunday featuring the All-Star Futures Game and MLBx: All-Star 3-on-3 (July 12^th); the MLB Draft presented by Nippon Express (July 11^th-12^th); the HBCU Swingman Classic (July 10^th); and Capital One All-Star Village (July 11^th-14^th). The 96^th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and TVA Sports; and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage in the United States. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game, while Univision will provide Spanish language coverage on radio. MLB Network and MLB.com will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week, including ticket information and updates, please visit allstargame.com and follow @MLB on social media.

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Click here for full vote tallies from Phase 1 of balloting.