With a second wave of All-Star balloting underway, Braves fans eye five surging spots

Major League Baseball’s All-Star balloting is moving through its second fan-voting phase to determine the starting position players for the 2026 Midsummer Classic, and the early leaderboard movement is giving Atlanta Braves supporters a reason to pay close attention. In MLB’s latest update, the league noted that five Braves players are poised to advance in the process that shapes the final starting group for the American League and National League.

The mechanics of the fan vote matter for understanding why this update is more than ceremonial. MLB has structured the balloting into two distinct phases, with the results across the first portion of voting carried forward to inform the final starter selections. The second phase is the one that ultimately helps clarify which players will earn the fan-driven start at their positions.

In the National League, the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani remains the leading vote-getter as MLB posts the newest snapshot of fan support. That matters because the All-Star starters are not simply about year-to-year reputation, they are also a measure of how quickly and how widely fan bases mobilize to reach the starting thresholds at each position.

The American League leaderboard has shown a different kind of momentum. MLB’s update states that the Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement has taken over the top spot in the American League vote-getting race in the current standings. When a player moves into first place between updates, it can indicate a rapid shift in balloting intensity, especially as fans see their early favorites approach the next decisive stage.

For the Braves, the league’s specific note that “five Braves” are positioned to advance highlights how competitive the race can be even within a single franchise’s roster of possibilities. It also underscores the broader point that the All-Star starter picture is never finalized on one snapshot. In practice, late changes can happen as ballots accumulate and attention shifts from general voting to the specific player outcomes tied to each position.

Beyond the starter race, it’s also worth remembering what this phase does and does not determine. Fan voting sets the starting lineups, while the remaining All-Star roster spots are determined through additional selection methods that are separate from the starter vote count. That distinction helps explain why a player can be in strong form and still not start, or why a surge in fan voting can translate directly into a starting nod.

What to watch next is straightforward, but it will require patience: MLB will continue to publish updates as the second voting phase progresses, and the key storyline is whether Ohtani holds his National League advantage and whether Clement maintains or extends his American League lead. For Braves fans, the immediate focus is whether the group of five players MLB highlighted continues to gain separation in the standings long enough to lock in starting positions.

MLB’s latest balloting update, posted on June 22, provides a clear window into the current fan-driven momentum. The race is still being shaped, and the next set of updates should reveal whether these early leaders are building a cushion or whether other clubs are ready to challenge them before the voting closes.