Two Twins Showing Up on Early All-Star Balloting

The Twins are not exactly having the best of seasons, but that hasn't stopped a pair of Minnesota stars from earning enough fan votes to show up in early All-Star balloting. Major League Baseball unveiled its first update of voting for the summer classic and it features Twins star center fielder Byron Buxton and currently-injured catcher Ryan Jeffers.

Buxton's 497,562 fan votes are fourth among all American League outfielders, just behind the Yankees' Aaron Judge (No. 1) and Cody Bellinger (No. 3), as well as the Angels' Mike Trout (No. 2). Jeffers has the fifth-most votes among American League catchers, trailing Shea Langeliers (Athletics), Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays), Adley Rutschman (Orioles), and Dillon Dingler (Tigers).

Despite the poor season overall by the Twins, Buxton is having another very strong season at the plate for Minnesota. Through 61 games this season, the 32-year-old is slashing .276/.336/.600. His 69 hits, 22 home runs, and .600 slugging percentage lead the team. Also, Buxton's 13 doubles are second, only behind Kody Clemens, while his 35 RBIs are third behind Josh Bell and Brooks Lee. He'd be having an even better season if not for some strange struggles with RISP (.156 average, .589 OPS in 54 plate appearances).

If Buxton earns an All-Star selection this year, it would be his second straight trip to the game and his third overall in his career.

May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Ryan Jeffers (27) celebrates his solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Target Field. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Jeffers is most likely to miss the game, even if he somehow does earn enough votes. The 29-year-old catcher last played on May 18. He is likely to remain out until around the All-Star break as he recovers from surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone. Jeffers suffered the injury after a pitch broke his bat in the May 18 game against the Astros.

Before the injury, Jeffers had been having the best season of his career. Through 37 games, Jeffers was hitting for a .295 average. He had recorded seven home runs and driven in 26 runs before being forced to miss time due to the injury. Jeffers' batting average was the highest of his career, while his .408 on-base percentage and .541 slugging percentage were also the highest of his career.

Veteran catcher Victor Caratini has picked up the bulk of the catching duties in Jeffers' absence. Since Jeffers' injury on May 18, Caratini is slashing .254/.333/.475, while connecting on three home runs and driving in 10 runs.

Phase 1 of fan voting ends Thursday, June 25 at 11 p.m. CT. The top voter-getter in each league at that point will receive a starting spot in the All-Star Game. The top two vote-getters at each position, plus the top six outfielders, will move on to Phase 2 of voting, which opens on June 29.

Buxton sits just 85,289 votes above the No. 7 voting-getting outfielder (Randy Arozarena, Mariners). Meanwhile, Jeffers' 235,679 votes are just 67,722 votes shy of the No. 2 spot among catchers.

Add us as a preferred source on Google