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BRONX, NY - MAY 03: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees and Ben Rice #22 in the dugout during the game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 3, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This evening, MLB announced the results of the first phase of All-Star voting on MLB Network. Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Cody Bellinger earned enough votes to advance to Phase 2.
The top overall vote-getter in the American League was Ernie Clement (that a decent player like Clement leads the voting brings into question what exactly it is that we’re doing here, but that’s a story for another day), meaning that he has already earned a starting spot on the AL squad. The top two vote-getters at every (top six in the case of outfielders) now advance to the second phase of voting, with the exception of Clement’s position of second base. Vote totals are reset after Phase 1, so the slate will be swept clean before Phase 2 begins, and the winners at each position will go on to start the All-Star Game.
Despite the rib injury that has kept him out for a few weeks now, Judge leads the way for the Yankees, his 2,567,404 votes the most for New York and the most among AL outfielders. Mike Trout, in the midst of a resurgent season but also unfortunately injured, finished second. In third is Byron Buxton, and in fourth is Cody Bellinger, whose excellent all-around contributions have helped the Yankees thrive even without Judge. More Blue Jays, Daulton Varsho and Jesús Sánchez, round out the top six among outfielders; the top three vote-getters in Phase 2 will start across the outfield in the All-Star Game.
Also advancing to Phase 2 is Rice, who finished second at first base but should have finished first, his 2026 campaign easily outstripping that of the actual first-place finisher Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Rice has morphed into one of the game’s finest hitters, and his OPS+ dwarfs that of Vladito (167 to 98). Now, Rice has a shot to start at first if he can defeat Guerrero in Phase 2, but he has work cut out for him, with Canada doing its best to vote for their Blue Jays.
The top vote-getters across the rest of the field are as follows:
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was on the fringes of contention, but he had little chance against the juggernaut that is Clement, ultimately finishing fourth at second base. Otherwise, the only other Yankee to finish in the top five at their position was Giancarlo Stanton, who came in fourth at DH.
Voting in Phase 2 will begin on Monday, June 29th, and lasts until noon ET on July 2nd.
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