NEW YORK -- It is shaping up as a Yankees-Red Sox fight to the finish as far as the American League East standings are concerned, so it only seems appropriate that the rivals are battling for spots to represent their respective clubs at this summer's All-Star Game.
• VOTE NOW: 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot
After Tuesday's first checkpoint of AL balloting, Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge are in position to earn starting honors in the Midsummer Classic, with Sanchez's 336,280 votes pacing all AL catchers.
Judge's 541,983 votes rate third among AL outfielders, behind Mookie Betts (748,872) of the Red Sox and Michael Trout (639,822) of the Angels. Judge's 4,488,702 votes led the AL last year, making him the first Yankee to do so since Derek Jeter in 2009.
Other Bombers are within striking distance of a trip to the Midsummer Classic, to be held on July 17 in Washington, D.C.
Despite not making his Major League debut until April 22, rookie Gleyber Torres has made a quality impression with fans. The 21-year-old Torres ranks second among AL second basemen with 279,810 votes, though he trails reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve (701,236) of the Astros by a healthy margin.
The same is true for rookie Miguel Andujar, whose 219,691 votes come in second among AL third basemen, behind Jose Ramirez (443,234) of the Indians. At shortstop, Didi Gregorius (208,583) is third behind Manny Machado (321,887) of the Orioles and Francisco Lindor (211,756) of the Indians.

Giancarlo Stanton placed second among AL designated hitters with 231,885 votes, trailing J.D. Martinez (513,415) of the Red Sox. In the outfield, Brett Gardner rated seventh with 160,123 votes and Aaron Hicks placed 11th with 119,660 votes.
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.