Voting has now closed in Phase 2 of the balloting for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia on July 14. There were two finalists at each position (six outfielders) that advanced based on the vote totals from Phase 1. Also, the top vote-getter in each league ran unopposed here, so Ernie Clement of the Blue Jays is the American League’s starter at second base while Shohei Ohtani starts at DH for the National League. 

We’ll find out the full list of starters on Saturday, though we won’t know the lineup until the Monday before the game. Still, we can make predictions here. 

Who will emerge as the starters? Let’s project both starting lineups before detailing each positional battle. 

American League starting lineup

1. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals
2. Mike Trout, CF, Angels
3. Yordan Alvarez, DH, Astros
4. Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays
5. Cody Bellinger, LF, Yankees
6. Byron Buxton, RF, Twins
7. Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics
8. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays
9. Ernie Clement, 2B, Blue Jays

Aaron Judge is going to be injured well through the break. Trout might be, too, but he also might make it back. We’ll replace Judge with Bellinger and leave Trout in there. Let’s hope he makes it. He hasn’t played in an All-Star Game since 2019.

Starting pitcher: Cam Schlittler, Yankees

National League starting lineup

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Cubs
2. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers
3. Andy Pages, RF, Dodgers
4. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
5. Max Muncy, 3B, Dodgers
6. Brandon Marsh, LF, Phillies
7. Drake Baldwin, C, Braves
8. Mookie Betts, SS, Dodgers
9. Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves

Ronald Acuña Jr. is out with an injury and it doesn’t seem like he’ll make it back in time. We need a replacement, so I went with Crow-Armstrong, who leads MLB position players in WAR and is on pace for his second straight 30-30 season. 

Starting pitcher: Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies

American League position battles

First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) vs. Ben Rice (Yankees)

Something that hangs heavily over Phase 2 of the voting is how strongly Blue Jays fans stuffed the ballot box in phase one. Toronto players are all over the place here. That very well could carry over, but there’s also the possibility that this inspires backlash from other fan bases, causing them to vote for the non-Jays. I also wonder if enough Jays fans are frustrated with Guerrero and jumped ship? Still, Guerrero nearly doubled Rice’s vote totals in Phase 1.

Prediction: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

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Second base: Ernie Clement (Blue Jays)

The 30-year-old Clement surprisingly led all American League players with 3,232,932 votes in Phase 1 to earn a starting spot in his first All-Star Game.

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Third base: Junior Caminero (Rays) vs. Kazuma Okamoto (Blue Jays)

Caminero should win this thing easily. He’s got an OPS of nearly 200 points better than Okamoto, for example, and he’s one of the brightest young stars in baseball. Okamoto got more votes in Phase 1, but it was really close, and I’ll say the backlash against Blue Jays ballot-stuffing carries the correct choice.

Prediction: Junior Caminero

Shortstop: Andrés Giménez (Blue Jays) vs. Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals)

Giménez doesn’t belong in the All-Star Game and Witt is arguably the best player in the AL, if not all of baseball (non-Ohtani division). I fear for the Jays stuffing here, but I’ll say sanity wins out, especially since Witt got nearly a million more votes in Phase 1. 

Prediction: Bobby Witt Jr.

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Catcher: Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays) vs. Shea Langeliers (Athletics)

Similar sentiment here, but Langeliers doesn’t have nearly the same name recognition, fame or even talent as Witt. Kirk has only played in 19 games to date and has hit very poorly. Fortunately, Langeliers got significantly more votes in Phase 1. 

Prediction: Shea Langeliers

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Outfield

• Cody Bellinger (Yankees)
• Byron Buxton (Twins)
• Aaron Judge (Yankees)
• Jesús Sánchez (Blue Jays)
• Mike Trout (Angels)
• Daulton Varsho (Blue Jays)

Judge, Trout and Buxton were the top three in Phase 1 and have the most name recognition. Trout and Judge are surely safe while Buxton had less than 200,000 votes over Bellinger, so that spot seems like it might be in play. I’ll say it sticks to the status quo, though. 

Prediction: Byron Buxton, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout

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DH: Yordan Alvarez (Astros) vs. George Springer (Blue Jays)

Alvarez absolutely dwarfed Springer in voting in Phase 1 and is having the much better year. He’ll hold it.

Prediction: Yordan Alvarez

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Starting pitcher: Cam Schlittler (Yankees)

The kid was great in the second half last season, had a historic playoff outing and now leads the AL with a 2.08 ERA in 18 starts. He’s been a godsend for a rotation that started the year with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon on the IL and then sent Max Fried there later.

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National League position battles

First base: Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) vs. Matt Olson (Braves)

Olson is having a great year, but Freeman is on a total tear at the plate for the two-time defending champion Dodgers, a team with a massive fan base. The future Hall of Famer led by a pretty decent margin in Phase 1 and gets the nod here.

Prediction: Freddie Freeman

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Second base: Ozzie Albies (Braves) vs. Bryson Stott (Phillies)

This was awfully close in Phase 1 and neither had a gaudy vote total. Albies is the correct choice, but I wonder about the motivation levels of the respective fan bases here with the Braves’ recent poor play and the Phillies’ surge. I’ll say Stott is held off, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins. 

Prediction: Ozzie Albies

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Third base: Max Muncy (Dodgers) vs. Alec Bohm (Phillies)

Muncy had more than double Bohm’s votes in Phase 1 and I’m not sure why things would change this time around. 

Prediction: Max Muncy

Shortstop: CJ Abrams (Nationals) vs. Mookie Betts (Dodgers)

Abrams is having a much better year overall, but Betts has the MVP, rings and Hall of Fame pedigree, not to mention the Dodgers fan base behind him. Abrams got more votes in the first round, but Betts has gotten hot at the plate and might see a surge in votes. I’ll take him. 

Prediction: Mookie Betts

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Catcher: Drake Baldwin (Braves) vs. Will Smith (Dodgers)

First off, it’s insane to me that MLB puts the catcher below the infielders on the ballot. It even goes in “scoring” order with shortstop (6 on a scorecard) coming after third base (5), so why is catcher (2) behind? Ridiculous. 

Anyway, sorry for the tangent. Baldwin led Smith by a decently hefty margin in phase one. He’s currently in a major funk at the plate, but I feel like he’s gonna take this round again. Maybe I’m only saying this due to predicting three Dodgers so far. I’m not sure. It’ll be close here. 

Prediction: Drake Baldwin

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Outfield

• Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves)
• Michael Harris II (Braves)
• Teoscar Hernández (Dodgers)
• Brandon Marsh (Phillies)
• Andy Pages (Dodgers)
• Juan Soto (Mets)

Believe it or not, Soto — easily one of the most famous and recognizable stars in MLB and playing in a megamarket — ranked fifth here in Phase 1. With the Mets’ season seeming more and more lost by the day, it sure seems like he’ll get squeezed out. Pages led in Phase 1 and should be a cinch to get in, given who he plays for and how good he’s been. Similar sentiment applies to Marsh (second) and Acuña (third). 

Prediction: Ronald Acuña Jr., Brandon Marsh, Andy Pages

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Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)

As the NL’s leading vote-getter with 3,341,257 votes, Ohtani has already earned his place in the starting lineup as he makes his sixth consecutive All-Star Game appearance. 

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Starting pitcher: Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies

Two things work in favor of Sanchez. First off, the game is in Philadelphia and it seems likely that NL manager Dave Roberts would give bonus points for picking a starter to pitch at home. Secondly, the other tippy-top tier candidate (in a loaded field, mind you) is Jacob Misiorowski and he’s currently scheduled to pitch the Sunday before the All-Star Game, taking him out of the mix. Sanchez is a worthy pick regardless of these two items. They were simply the clinchers in what is a tough decision.

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Generally speaking, former NFLer Ryan Fitzpatrick expects big things from new Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray — but he doesn’t think the prosperity will last.

Murray is tentatively expected to win the Vikings’ QB1 job this summer, and according to Fitzpatrick, he’ll play well in 2026 and get stale thereafter.

Murray Will Cook — But There’s a Catch

Fitzpatrick on Murray

Fitzpatrick delivered his Murray-themed takes on The Rich Eisen Show, stating, “I think his best year with Minnesota will be his first year, and if they keep him after that, it’s going to trail off because some of the issues that came up in Arizona are going to be the same issues that follow him. I don’t know that it’s a maturity issue.”

“I just think, with Kyler Murray, what are his strengths? All the things that you can measure, those are the things that he’s always been unbelievable at. I think it’s just been some of the intangibles where he has struggled, fitting into a locker room and being able to elevate a team to the next level.”

Seeing whether Murray plays well and maintains the pace is well worth it for the Vikings, who signed Murray for $1.3 million in March.

“So I just think in Year 1, you’re not going to have to worry about those things because they’ll take care of themselves. It’s easy in Year 1 because everything is new. As you go on in the same spot for multiple years, those things become much more important,” Fitzpatrick, who started 147 games in the NFL, continued.

“That’s what I’m saying as to why I think this year is going to be great, but it’s going to be a one-year experiment that starts out great and tails off from there.”

Tailing Off in 2027 Is a 2027 Problem and Worth the Gamble

Listen, if Murray is planning on cooking with the 2026 Vikings, but Fitzpatrick thinks the risk is that he might fall off a year later, that’s a crapshoot a team must be willing to take. For example, Sam Darnold thrived for the Vikings in 16 games. Then, he collapsed in his 17th and 18th starts, ruining the 2024 campaign. Minnesota’s response? Dump Darnold and embark on the J.J. McCarthy era — which led the Vikings to the here and now, signing Murray to perhaps rectify their quarterback conundrum.

Meanwhile, Darnold won a Super Bowl in Seattle.

So, the Vikings owe it to themselves to audition Murray in 2026, and if he’s productive, they’ll have a “cross that bridge when they get their problem” regarding Fitzpatrick’s prediction.

Injuries to Monitor, Too

The larger concerns about Murray are his size and subsequent injury history. He’s only about 5’10” — depending on the measurer — and misses more games than most franchise quarterbacks. Through seven seasons, Murray has missed 26% of all eligible games, meaning he’s due to miss 3-4 per year.

While Fitzpatrick may fear a sophomore slump for Murray in the Twin Cities, Vikings fans should spend most of their time contemplating Murray’s durability when it comes to his weaknesses. He’s played full seasons thrice in his career — 2019, 2020, and 2024 — and then that’s it.

Optimists will say he’s due for a complete season sans injuries. Fingers crossed.

Supreme Vikings QB Depth This Time Around

Minnesota is not messing around at quarterback this time. In 2023, the season was ruined when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles. Backup quarterback Nick Mullens was hurt at the time, too, so the Vikings fired off an inexpensive trade for Joshua Dobbs, while experimenting with rookie Jaren Hall. The club ultimately flamed out because there was no QB1 stability and missed the postseason.

In 2025, McCarthy could not stay healthy, and Carson Wentz’s shoulder was fried by Halloween. Minnesota turned to Max Brosmer, which quickly revealed a disaster. Brosmer was not ready for the NFL, and in fact, posted more bloopers than completed passes.

Now, the purple team has quarterback depth to prevent this madness. Between Murray, McCarthy, and Wentz, it’s next to impossible that all three would be lost for the season and ruin another shot at the playoffs.

The Vikings have quarterback depth and two passers specifically, Murray and McCarthy, with something to prove.

Quarterback struggles in 2027 should be left for 2027. If Murray succeeds in 2026, he has a chance to sign a big contract in Minnesota and remain the quarterback for the next-decade-plus. His age, 28, allows for that upside.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

Max Holloway recently shared his thoughts on potential fights against Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev after his Conor McGregor rematch.

Gaethje is coming off an incredible fourth-round knockout victory against Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 last month, where he won the undisputed lightweight championship. Meanwhile, Makhachev claimed the welterweight title after beating Jack Della Maddalena via unanimous decision at UFC 322 last November.

Holloway and McGregor will be throwing down in a welterweight bout in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Considering that Holloway moved up to 170 pounds for this fight, he’s open to challenging Makhachev for the belt someday.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, the Hawaiian fighter addressed his plans after the McGregor rematch. When asked who he’d pick as his next opponent between Gaethje and Makhachev, he replied:

“Both those fights are fun. Why not go back to 155 [pounds] and do something amazing, and then ask to maybe come back up. We’ll see what happens. I’d love to fight both of them… That’s a tough one. I don’t know what I would choose… If everything goes good come July 11, ask me that question again and maybe I’d have an answer.”

Catch Max Holloway’s comments below (11:45 onwards):

Max Holloway believes Conor McGregor is hyping himself up for UFC 329

Max Holloway isn’t fazed by Conor McGregor’s trash-talking ahead of their rematch at UFC 329 and believes the Irishman is simply trying to convince himself.

In the same interview with MMA Junkie, the former featherweight champion dismissed McGregor’s pre-fight comments and said:

“Him saying I’m not a different fighter and blah, blah, blah. It is what it is. Keep telling yourself whatever you’ve got to tell yourself. I just need him to come and show up July 11 and get in that octagon. Then we can find out if he’s right or wrong.”