MLB phase 2 ballot update puts Marsh in front in NL outfield, while Bohm and Stott look for the late push

Phase 2 voting for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard has begun, and MLB’s first position-by-position ballot update lays out who is in the mix to become a starter. The centerpiece in the National League is an outfield race in which MLB lists Jeren Kendall Marsh as leading the NL outfield group, even as the rest of the ballot picture continues to tighten in the run-up to the final returns.

MLB’s update also keeps the spotlight on Philadelphia, where the ballot positioning for two key everyday bats, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott, points to the same challenge common to many All-Star races at this stage: candidates can be among the leaders, but still need enough fan support to turn that presence into one of the starting roles. MLB’s release frames Bohm and Stott as among the finalists trying to earn the NL starting spots, rather than as players who have the job locked in.

The mechanics matter. Phase 2 is the stage when fan voting continues to shape the final starting lineup at each position in both leagues, with the results intended to determine the starters who will be named for the All-Star Game. That means the gap between leading and starting can be narrow, and a late surge in ballots can redraw the picture even after earlier returns helped establish the early front-runners.

For Marsh, MLB’s depiction as the leader among NL outfield candidates suggests he is capturing enough support to remain prominent as voting continues. However, MLB’s language in the update is not presented as a finish line, and Phase 2 is designed for movement. In other words, the outfield is still a contest that can shift as ballots keep coming in.

For Bohm and Stott, MLB’s inclusion alongside the most compelling All-Star-start candidates reflects the intensity of position races in the National League. Even when a player is recognized among the top ballot options, the starting lineup is ultimately decided by the volume of support during each phase. The Phillies portion of the update reads as a reminder that the All-Star starters are not only about season-long visibility, but also about who maintains the momentum as voting accelerates toward its closing window.

The broader All-Star context adds pressure to every Phase 2 update. The starters selected by fan voting become the face of the event for each league, and the final lineup is designed to balance star power with the day-to-day impact of a variety of teams. When MLB highlights multiple Phillies names in a single ballot preview, it is indicating that the franchise is still very much in the conversation for the NL’s starting jobs, not just for late alternates.

What to watch next is simple: subsequent ballot updates will show whether Marsh extends or absorbs pressure in the NL outfield, and whether MLB’s cited Bohm and Stott start to separate themselves from the rest of the finalists in their respective voting groups. The key question entering the final stretch is whether fan support during Phase 2 is enough to convert finalist status into a starting role.