Bryce Harper finished third among National League first basemen in the first phase of fan voting, leaving him outside the group that will move forward as a starter. If he makes the All-Star Game on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park, it will come as a reserve.
That matters now because the voting window is not closed. It resumes at noon Monday on MLB.com and on the MLB app, then ends at noon next Thursday, and the first-phase totals do not carry over. Harper’s standing is a reminder that the first round only decides who advances; it does not lock in the roster that will take the field in Philadelphia.
He finished behind Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson among first basemen, which explains why he is now depending on the next stage rather than fan votes alone. Shohei Ohtani already locked up a starting spot by getting the most votes of any National League player, while Kyle Schwarber finished second among designated hitters and remains in the mix as well. The host club still has a real chance to be well represented when MLB announces the All-Star rosters, including starters, on July 4 at 7:30 p.m.
The wrinkle for Harper is that the path has shifted from popularity to selection. All-Star reserves and pitchers are chosen through player balloting, so the first-phase result leaves him waiting on another process, not simply asking fans to push him over the line. That is a different kind of race, and one the Phillies cannot control the way they can control the numbers on the ballot.
Philadelphia may still send several players to the game, but Harper is not among the players currently positioned to start. Bryson Stott moved on by finishing second at second base, Alec Bohm advanced by finishing third at third base and Brandon Marsh reached the next stage by collecting the second-most votes among outfielders. With the home game approaching, the question is no longer whether the Phillies can matter in the voting; it is how many of them end up on the roster when the final choices are made.
