Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams is in position to become a two-time All Star in the early voting standings released this week
After a shaky start to the month, the Washington Nationals are riding the high of their three-game win streak into Tuesday with the team now three games above .500 for the first time in seven years and a chance to secure the team's fourth consecutive series win in the evening. It's helped the Nationals and manager Blake Butera draw buzz as one of the biggest surprises through the first third of the 2026 regular season, yet two Nationals have also drawn the spotlight as they look to build All Star-caliber seasons. The way it's looking, Washington could be represented once again in the All Star game.
MLB released its All Star ballot standings through Monday, June 15 with two Nationals ranked inside the top ten.
Shortstop CJ Abrams leads all shortstops in the National League with 579,796 votes, roughly 12,400 more than Mookie Bets of the Los Angeles Dodgers in second place and over 100,000 more than Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds, who rounded out the top three.
It's a deserving honor for Abrams, who entered Monday's contest 8-for-25 with one home run, five RBIs and six runs over his last six games. Abrams also leads all NL shortstops in wRC+, wOBA and OPS while ranking top five across baseball with 53 RBIs this season.
An All Star season would be a deserving feat for Abrams, who has found himself loosely tied to trade speculation to varying degrees over the last six months, but it would also deliver on the preseason goal to return to the mid-summer classic.
"I told him a couple days ago, hey, you should be an All Star this year. And he's like, I know, that's my goal," manager Blake Butera said in late February.
Yet maybe the bigger surprise was James Wood among the leading vote getters, yet coming in seventh place behind Andy Pages, Ronald Acuna Jr., Brandon Marsh, Michael Harris II and Teoscar Hernandez. Wood is over 200,000 votes away from fourth place, marking an uphill climb for the star outfielder.
Yet it would also mark a notable omission given Wood ranks among the league's best in both home runs and RBIs, while his 99 strikeouts on the season is an improvement from his near record-setting 2025 performance.
Wood is looking to secure his second consecutive All Star appearance while Abrams drew the honor the season prior, but could Washington find both sneaking their way onto the 2026 NL Roster? That may be easier said than done.
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