Major League Baseball (MLB) released the results of Phase 1 of voting to name the starting lineup for the National League (N.L.) and American League (A.L) teams for next month’s 2026 All-Star Game in Philadelphia, PA.
Three members of the Philadelphia Phillies starting crew reached Phase 2 in the voting process: Brandon Marsh, Bryson Stott, and Alec Bohm. The names that do not appear, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, will likely raise many eyebrows across the Delaware Valley on Thursday night.
Schwarber, the major-league leader with 29 home runs entering play on June 25, received the fifth-most votes in the N.L. with over 2.5 million votes, but he lost out on the starting designated hitter vote to Shohei Ohtani.
Los Angeles’ two-way star led all National League players with over 3.3 million ballots in his name. For the honor of the most votes in the league, Ohtani was awarded the starting DH spot. Toronto’s Ernie Clement won that vote in the A.L as the only other player in Phase 1 to receive over 3 million votes.
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Harper (1.8 million votes) was beaten out for a spot in Phase 2 by a pair of rival first basemen, L.A.’s Freddie Freeman (2.6 million) and Matt Olson (2.0 million). Both missing Phillies sluggers, Schwarber and Harper, can still be named as reserve All-Star selections once the fan voting process closes.
Marsh takes one step closer to his first MLB All-Star appearance after surging into second place in voting for N.L. outfielders after receiving over 2 million votes this summer. Marsh will be battling five outfielders for three starting spots, with his opposition featuring L.A.’s Andy Pages, Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr., L.A.’s Teoscar Hernandez, New York Mets Juan Soto, and Atlanta’s Michael Harris II.
Unfortunately, votes do not carry over to Phase 2, so the Phillies majestic-bearded outfielder will have to make a strong push all over again before baseball fans settle in for the July 4th holiday.
Stott has an opportunity to snatch a starting All-Star Game spot away from Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies, while Bohm will challenge Los Angeles’ Max Muncy for the opening position at the hot corner. Outside of Washington’s CJ Abrams, the rest of the starting unit for the National League should be a mix of Phillies, Dodgers, and/or Braves.
Fan voting sets the first nine members of the All-Star team, leaving 11 additional position player spots and 12 vacancies for pitchers for a 32-man roster. Phase 2 voting opens June 29 and runs through July 2, so All-Star hopefuls will need a strong push from their respective fan bases ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend.
The starting lineups for both leagues will be announced on July 4 via FOX networks.
Metro Philadelphia will have plenty of coverage leading up to and during the 2026 MLB All-Star Game Weekend festivities in Philadelphia, so stay tuned for additional updates over the next few weeks.
