The Cleveland Guardians are likely to be well-represented at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, which will be played July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Whether they will have any starters on the American League team remains to be seen.
The Guardians recently put out a call urging fans to help their players in Phase 1 of the voting. Among them, one player has a good chance to advance to Phase 2.
Guardians rookie Travis Bazzana is facing a close call in the All-Star voting, as he is within striking distance of moving on among AL second basemen.
“[Toronto] Blue Jays super utility man Ernie Clement is assuredly a lock to advance to Phase 2 voting, thanks to a 600,000-vote lead over the second-place vote-getter. But the race behind Clement is wide open. While [Ezequiel ] Duran (of the Texas Rangers) waited his turn for an everyday role, Bazzana didn’t have to do much waiting — at least not at the big league level. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft earned his call-up to the majors in late April, and he’s looked at home against big league pitching, posting a 110 OPS+ through his first 41 games,” Jared Greenspan wrote.
The leading vote-getter in each league during Phase 1 of the voting, which ends on June 25, will receive an automatic spot in their team’s starting lineup. The top two vote-getters at every position, and the top six outfielders, advance to Phase 2, which begins on June 29.
As of the first voting update that was released this week, Clement was the clear leader among AL second basemen with 904,702 votes. Duran is next with 287,996 votes, followed very closely by Bazzana at 279,862. Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros is fourth at 244,131, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees fifth at 230,846.
Bazzana may have had a better chance at earning a spot had he been promoted earlier than he was. After failing to make the Opening Day roster, he was also passed over after infielder Gabriel Arias was put on the injured list in early April in favor of fellow rookie Juan Brito. After Brito struggled, Bazaana made his MLB debut on April 28, and after an 0-for-12 start to his career, he has been a dynamic offensive player ever since.
So much so that he was moved into the leadoff spot in Cleveland’s lineup. For the season, he has a .252/.345/.404 slash line with four home runs and 11 stolen bases.
While he may not get voted into the All-Star Game, Bazzana has a good chance to be named as a reserve, depending on how many other teammates are also selected.
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