ST. PETERSBURG -- Wilson Ramos has increased his lead on the Yankees' Gary Sanchez to represent the American League at catcher for this year's Midsummer Classic.
• VOTE: 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot
The third voting update for this year's All-Star Game was announced for the AL on Tuesday, and Ramos continued to lead the Yankees' catcher. Ramos has 1,063,708 votes, while Sanchez remains in second with 904,678 votes.
"I certainly hope [Ramos wins the spot]," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He's had a really good showing. ... He's done a lot of good things for us here lately. It's good fans are recognizing that. Good that our fans are recognizing that. He's very, very deserving."
Last week, Ramos led Sanchez by 59,260 votes, and he now leads Sanchez by 159,030 votes.
Rays fans need to continue voting if they want to see Ramos earn the starting spot.
Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot until Thursday, July 5, at 11:59 p.m. ET. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps. Each fan can vote up to five times in any 24-hour period, for a maximum of 35 ballots cast.
Following the announcement of this year's All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Final Vote for the final player on each league's roster. Then on Tuesday, July 17, while watching the 2018 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2018 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
The 89th Midsummer Classic, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.
Ramos, who is in his second season with the Rays, has performed well. In addition to handling his catching duties, he has been a solid performer on offense. After Monday night's action -- which saw Ramos hit two home runs against the Nationals -- the veteran backstop was hitting .293 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs.